The King and Queen visit Australia and Samoa

Autumn Tour 2024

Day One - Sydney

Their Majesties arrived at Sydney Airport to rain, but the welcome was warm as they were greeted by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.  

A special tribute also awaited them:  the iconic Sydney Opera House was lit up in their honour, with images of Their Majesties being projected onto the famous building in Sydney Harbour. 

Day Three - Sydney

Following a rest day, Their Majesties attended a Sunday Service at St Thomas' Anglican Church in north Sydney. The church was first completed in 1846 when the population of Sydney North Harbour was less than 400. 

Large crowds had gathered to welcome The King and Queen, and Their Majesties spent time meeting as many well-wishers as they could in the Sydney sunshine. 

Later that morning, The King visited New South Wales Parliament House where he made a speech to mark the bicentenary of the NSW Legislative Council.

When underpinned by wisdom and good faith, democracy has, I believe, an extraordinary capacity for innovation, compromise and adaptability, as well as stability.  

The Legislative Council first met on 25th August 1824 with five members to advise the Governor of the Colony, Thomas Brisbane. The council is Australia’s first example of a democratic government, with the bicentenary marking 200 years of democracy in the country.

Read The King's speech in full. 

Following the event, The King held Audiences with Sam Mostyn, Governor-General of Australia ...

... and Margaret Beazley, the Governor of New South Wales, both at Admiralty House in Sydney.

Day Four - Canberra

A traditional Smoking Ceremony welcomed The King and Queen to Canberra (Ngunnawal country) on Day Four of Their Majesties’ visit to Australia. For a Smoking Ceremony, individuals light a fire when entering another group's country, signalling their entry to the people who live there.  A Smoking Ceremony involves smouldering native plants to produce smoke. 

A visit to the Australian War Memorial provided an opportunity to commemorate the service and sacrifice of Australian Defence Force Veterans.

Since the memorial was built in 1941, almost every Royal Visit to Australia has featured a formal wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Australian Solider. Today, Their Majesties visit marked the first time a member of the Royal Family has formally acknowledged Indigenous Veterans at the For Our Country Memorial.

At Australian Parliament House in Canberra, a formal Ceremonial Welcome Ceremony was held before The King gave a speech in the Great Hall. 

At Government House, The Queen joined a discussion on family and domestic violence in Australia speaking to women with lived experience, and learnt more about the measures taken to end violence against women in Australia. The Queen has worked to highlight organisations supporting victims of Rape and Sexual Assault for over ten years, undertaking numerous visits to learn more about the issues, meet survivors, and highlight the invaluable contribution made by the people and organisations working in this area. Find out more. 

The King and Queen continued the tradition of marking Royal Visits to Australia with a Tree Planting Ceremony by each planting a eucalyptus tree on the ground.

The King learnt more about bushfire behaviour research at the CSIRO National Bushfire Behaviour Research Laboratory. His Majesty watched a series of demonstartions of models and testing equipmentwhich study the spread of bushfires under a range of weather conditions and help keep fire-fighters safe during an outbreak.

At the National Botanic Gardens, The Queen met staff and volunteers involved with GIVIT appeals that provide support to Australians impacted by Family and Domestic Violence and Natural Disasters, as well as support to First Nations people. 

GIVIT facilitates the donation of essential items and services to people experiencing hardship. Working with State and Federal Government as well as through a national charity network, they ensure people and communities experiencing hardship have access to essential items.

The Australian National Botanic Gardens boasts the largest collection of Australian plants in the world and Their Majesties were able to learn about Australian Native plants and endangered Australian Flora.

To find out what's next on Their Majesties' autumn tour by heading to the 'Programme' tab on this article. 

Day Five - Sydney

Day Five of the tour began at the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence, where The King met with a group of Elders and community leaders before taking part in his second smoking ceremony of the visit. Aunty-in-Residence Beryl Van Opploo demonstrated and talked to us about cooking for The King for previous visits.

The National Centre for Indigenous Excellence is a not-for-profit social enterprise supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Meanwhile, The Queen visited Refettorio OzHarvest Sydney, an Australian-first, social impact collaboration between leading food rescue organisations OzHarvest (founded in Australia) and Food for Soul (founded in Italy).

Her Majesty spoke to its founder and volunteers and learnt more about the story behind the Refettorio concept. 

At Cowper Street Development - a sustainable affordable housing project, which is a collaboration between The King’s Trust Australia and the New South Wales Government – The King met ‘Get Into Construction’ apprentices who have contributed to the development project and spoke to beneficiaries of similar social housing projects from neighbouring communities.

Her Majesty commits much of her working life to literacy projects and she had a chance to discover more about what is being done to promote literacy and encourage a love of literature in Australia with a visit to Green Square Plaza - a unique underground library beneath. The library and which serves its local community.  The Queen met representatives from local Sydney book clubs, Australian authors and past participants of The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition.

The centrepiece of the day was a community barbecue celebrating the extraordinary cultural diversity of modern Australia. Their Majesties met community leaders, volunteers and charity representatives against a colourful backdrop of musical performances.

Greater Western Sydney boasts one of the most diverse cultural communities in the world where almost half of its residents were born outside of Australia and over half of its households speak a language other than, or in addition to, English at home.

Later in the afternoon, The King joined a Sustainable Markets Initiative discussion with Australian. The SMI was launched by His Majesty King Charles III, then The Prince of Wales, in 2020 at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos. As the ‘go-to’ global private sector organisation on sustainable transition, the Sustainable Markets Initiative’s power to convene top organisations from industry and the financial services, alongside governments, is key to innovating, accelerating and delivering on a just, sustainable and prosperous future.

At the Melanoma Institute Australia - the world’s largest melanoma research and treatment facility -His Majesty met researchers, clinical staff, and current patients who have benefited from their world-leading research and treatment.

The King was escorted by Professors Georgina Long and Richard Scolyer, co-medical directors of M.I.A., are undertaking ground-breaking research in melanoma treatment and are passionate advocates for sun-safe behaviour and melanoma prevention.

On their final day in Sydney, Their Majesties met well-wishers outside the iconic Syndey Opera House, alongside Sydney Harbour and the Sydney Harbour Bridge before undertaking a Royal Australian Navy Fleet Review and a flypast.

Head to the programme tab on this article to find out where Their Majesties are headed next. 

Day Six - Samoa

Their Majesties were greeted at Faleolo International Airport by the Prime Minister of Samoa, Afioga Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa and a guard of honour composed of Samoan police officers.

Day Seven - Samoa

A Royal ‘ava ceremony welcomed Their Majesties to Samoa on their first full day of engagements. This special ceremony reserved only for monarchs was performed at the National University of Samoa by the Samoan Head of State and his village.

‘Ava holds a significant place in Pacific traditions, with its origins deeply rooted in the cultural fabric of the region. For centuries, ‘ava (known in other Pacific countries as kava) has played a vital role in the rituals and celebrations of Pacific islanders. It is not just a beverage, but a symbol of community unity and connection.

A new fellowships programme was launched in The King’s name place at the National University of Samoa. Established with a significant personal donation from His Majesty, The King’s Commonwealth Fellowships Programme will offer fellowships to mid-career professionals, undergraduate scholarships, and PhDs, to candidates based in Small Island Developing States. Inspired by His Majesty, and his life’s work to create opportunity and to tackle contemporary challenges including climate change and inequality, the programme has been developed in response to urgent economic, social and environmental development challenges affecting SIDS.  

The King and Queen experienced Samoan village culture in Moata’a – where His Majesty was bestowed with a High Chief title (Tui-Taumeasina) during a traditional ceremonial welcome in the Church Hall. Village life is central to the fa’a Samoa (the ‘Samoan Way’) with a focus on family, church, and duty.  Variable in size, villages consist of extended families (aiga) headed by chiefs (matai) who compose the village council (fono), headed by a senior matai.

His Majesty went on to visit the Mangrove Restoration Walk: a project which highlights the benefits of coastal biomes such as mangroves in maintaining climate-resilient landscapes.

Mangroves provide coastal communities with many positive benefits and resources, supporting food chains, ecosystem health, ecotourism, coastal pollution control, and providing protection from cyclones and storm surges.  Moata’a village was badly affected by flooding in 2018, which highlighted the vulnerability of coastal communities, especially in Small Island Developing States.

Meanwhile, The Queen visited Moata’a village’s aoga faifeau (pastor school) to learn about the history and impact of these schools in villages in Samoa.  Established in 1893 by the London Missionary Society, the pastor school programmes were run by local faifeau (ministers) in villages across the country. The pastor school tradition remains deeply embedded in Samoans’ Christian upbringing and culture. Samoans are very proud of their high literacy levels which are attributed, in part, to this scheme. 

The Queen also attended an event which brought together Commonwealth figures leading change on domestic abuse in their own countries, as well as speakers and youth champions. 

This high-level event on tackling violence against women and girls (VAGW) has been organised by the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Government of Samoa as part of the official CHOGM programme for the spouses and partners of Commonwealth leaders and Foreign Ministers.  The event aims to bring together Commonwealth stakeholders to share practical experiences of advocating to counter VAWG and to amplify the ‘Commonwealth Says NO MORE’ campaign. 

Her Majesty The Queen has long been involved in highlighting the work of organisations supporting victims of rape and sexual assault, as well as survivors of domestic abuse, with the aim of breaking the taboo around the subject. Her Majesty is Patron of the UK domestic abuse charity, SafeLives; President of Women of the World; and in 2021, became Patron of the Mirabel Centre, Nigeria’s first Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) in Lagos.

A visit to a Samoan Cultural Village celebrated the importance of traditional arts, crafts, culture, enterprise and sport in Samoa. Their Majesties watched demonstrations by local art and handicraft makers including traditional Samoan tattooing, Samoan clothmaking and Samoan mat-weaving. 

At a Sustainable Markets Initiatives event (SMI), His Majesty heard from CEOs about various ‘Lighthouse Projects’ they have established to mark CHOGM.

His Majesty founded (SMI) in 2020, when he was The Prince of Wales. Its’ mission is to build a coordinated global effort to enable the private sector to accelerate the achievement of global climate, biodiversity and sustainability goals. 

At O Le Pupu-Pue National Park The King learnt more about highlight reforestation efforts led by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (M.N.R.E.) in partnership with local communities and conservation organisations. The reforestation work at the O Le Pupū’Pue National Park is part of  the ‘Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy’, a pan-Commonwealth initiative that highlighted Her late Majesty The Queen’s service to the Commonwealth.

Almost half of Samoa’s estimated 770 native plant species have been recorded in the park, as have forty-two species of birds, five species of mammals, four species of lizards, and twenty-eight species of invertebrates.  It is one of the few remaining strongholds for endemic and endangered bird species.

Day Eight - Samoa

Today saw the opening ceremony of the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa. The meeting convenes leaders so that they can work together to tackle the most pressing issues of our time such as climate change, creating opportunities for young people, and fostering inclusive and sustainable prosperity for all.

In the evening, His Majesty hosted an Official Dinner and Reception for the Commonwealth Heads of Government and Delegation.

The Queen visited the Samoa Victims Support Group as a passionate supporter of organisations that tackle violence against women and girls. At SVSG, Her Majesty heard from survivors about their experiences of gender-based violence and the practical help they and their families have received from the centre.  She also meet some of the children living on the campus before opening the new pre-school building ‘The Queen Camilla Pre-school of Hope’ in honour of her visit. 

SVSG was established in 2005 as a community response to the high incidence of domestic violence and sexual abuse experienced by women and children in Samoa.  Originally designed as a temporary refuge for vulnerable mothers and children, it has expanded in recent years to become a temporary home for around 100 women and children while their cases proceed through the family courts or are resolved informally within the community.

Her Majesty The Queen has long been involved in highlighting the work of organisations supporting victims of rape and sexual assault, as well as survivors of domestic abuse, with the aim of breaking the taboo around the subject. Her Majesty is Patron of the UK domestic abuse charity, SafeLives; President of Women of the World; and in 2021, became Patron of the Mirabel Centre, Nigeria’s first Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) in Lagos.

His Majesty visited The King’s Garden: a new outdoor space being developed in the grounds of the Robert Louis Stevenson Museum to commemorate His Majesty’s visit.  The Museum and its’ grounds are part of the surrounding Vailima Botanical Garden.  The King’s Garden has been established in an area which has been cleared of invasive plant species and adjoins an area where Commonwealth leaders will be invited to plant additional native trees to mark CHOGM 2024.  His Majesty unveiled a commemorative plaque and planted a native tree.

Day Nine - Samoa

The King and Queen joined a Farewell Ceremony at Siumu Village to mark the final day of their visit. Siumu village is on the central coast of Upolu Island in Samoa and has been paired with the United Kingdom as part of the CHOGM ‘adopt a country’ programme.

The King was presented with a Chiefly title, before Their Majesties watched a short performance.

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