The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall will visit New Zealand, Tuvalu and the Solomon Islands

17th - 25th November 2019

Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall will undertake an official visit to New Zealand between Sunday 17th and Saturday 23rd November at the invitation of the New Zealand Government. This will be Their Royal Highnesses third official joint tour to New Zealand.

On his return from New Zealand, The Prince will visit Tuvalu and the Solomon Islands to celebrate the Monarchy’s relationship with these Commonwealth Realms.

Their Royal Highnesses will arrive in Auckland, New Zealand on Sunday 17th November. During their visit, The Prince and The Duchess will visit programmes and organisations working in areas they are committed to supporting. The Prince will focus on young people and youth opportunity, as well as environmental issues – with particular emphasis on tackling plastic waste. The Duchess will continue her focus on key themes including domestic violence and literacy.

During their time in Auckland, Their Royal Highnesses will receive an official welcome at Government House and meet with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.  The Prince and The Duchess will then visit a number of community-based projects working to address social issues and create youth opportunity.

From Auckland, Their Royal Highnesses will travel to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds to receive an official welcome and to honour the relationship between The Crown and the Māori people. The Prince has visited the Treaty Grounds on previous visits to New Zealand, most recently in 1994.

Their Royal Highnesses will also travel to Christchurch where they will see first-hand the resilience and regeneration of the city since the 2011 earthquake. The Prince and The Duchess will also see how the community has rallied to support the families affected by the two Mosque attacks in the city in March.

The Prince of Wales will then visit Kaikōura to learn about the profound effect the 2016 earthquake had on the town, especially on the road and rail connections.

At the end of the tour of New Zealand, The Duchess will return to the UK. The Prince will travel on to Tuvalu where he will receive an official welcome and attend a reception. His Royal Highness’ programme will focus on environmental issues and how local communities are responding to climate change. The Prince will also meet with young people to hear about the positive contributions they are making to the climate change debate.

His Royal Highness will conclude the tour with a visit to the Solomon Islands. This will be The Prince of Wales’ first visit to the Solomon Islands. His Royal Highness will attend a public engagement, which will focus on ocean preservation and climate change. The Prince will also spend time learning about sustainable fisheries management in the Pacific Ocean.

NOTES FOR EDITORS  

• This will be Their Royal Highnesses' third joint visit to New Zealand.
• The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall last visited New Zealand in November 2015.
• Their Royal Highnesses also visited New Zealand in November 2012 to mark The Queen's Diamond Jubilee. 
• The Prince of Wales last visited Tuvalu in October 1970.
• This will be The Prince’s first visit to the Solomon Islands.