Their Majesties The King and Queen will undertake an Autumn Tour from Friday 18th – Saturday 26th October 2024. This will include a Royal Visit to Australia, State Visit to The Independent State of Samoa and attendance at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2024.
The King’s visit to Australia will be His Majesty’s first to a Realm as Monarch, whilst the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa is the first The King will attend as Head of the Commonwealth. In both countries, Their Majesties’ engagements will focus on themes designed to celebrate the best of Australia and Samoa, as well as reflecting aspects of The King and Queen’s work.
Australia
In Australia, His Majesty, as Head of State, accompanied by Her Majesty The Queen, will visit Parliament House, in Canberra, where Their Majesties will be welcomed by the Prime Minister, Mr Anthony Albanese. His Majesty will address a reception attended by political and community leaders, and prominent Australians who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in a variety of fields, including health, arts, culture and sports. Their Majesties will pay their respects to the Fallen, laying a wreath at the Australian War Memorial and visiting the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander memorial, ‘For Our Country’. The King and Queen will conduct a Fleet Review of the Royal Australian Navy, in Sydney Harbour.
On the theme of sustainability, The King will visit CSIRO, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, meeting firefighters and learning more about the centre’s work to combat the bush fires which devastate millions of hectares of Australian land each year. Their Majesties will tour the National Botanic Gardens, home to the largest living collection of Australian native plants in the world, where they will learn about Indigenous plant use. They will also hear from staff and volunteers about how climate change is affecting biodiversity.
The King, who has this year been receiving treatment for cancer, will meet Professor Georgina Long and Professor Richard Scolyer, both Australians of the Year, and will hear about the work they do to help those affected by melanoma, one of Australia’s most common cancers.
Meanwhile, Her Majesty’s programme will also reflect the themes of her wider work, including her passion for encouraging reading and literacy and her desire to raise awareness of domestic and family violence. At a library in Sydney, Her Majesty will meet children participating in a Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition workshop. In Canberra, The Queen will join a discussion on domestic and family violence, with some of those whose lives been affected by it, and experts who work in the field. Her Majesty will also meet representatives of GIVIT, a charity which matches donors with those in need, of which she is Patron.
Their Majesties will attend a community BBQ in Western Sydney, sampling a range of produce from across New South Wales, experiencing the cultural diversity of Australian communities and meeting local residents. The King will also meet Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representatives and groups to learn about their work in supporting local community and strengthening culture.
Samoa
Their Majesties’ State Visit to Samoa will celebrate the warm bilateral relationship between the two countries, which has been further strengthened by Samoa’s hosting of CHOGM 2024. The King and Queen will receive a formal welcome to the country, in the form of an ‘Ava Fa’atupu ceremony, before meeting Samoans at an engagement to highlight aspects of Samoan traditions and culture. His Majesty will also spend time with young people and community and faith leaders.
The King’s programme will, in addition, reflect the theme of sustainability and biodiversity, in support of one of the key themes of CHOGM – ‘A Resilient Environment’, and the meeting’s focus on oceans. His Majesty will visit both a mangrove forest and a National Park, witnessing the work which is carried out by local communities to restore and protect both these vital ecosystems. He will also plant a tree in Samoa’s Botanical Garden, marking the opening of a new area within the site, which will be called ‘The King’s Garden’.
Meanwhile Her Majesty’s engagements will again focus on the wider themes of her work. The Queen will visit an aoga faifeau (traditional Samoan Pastor’s School) to see first-hand how pupils are taught to read and write. Her Majesty will also visit the Samoa Victim Support Group, an organisation which assists survivors of domestic violence and sexual abuse, where she will learn more about the services the group provides to those in crisis.
CHOGM 2024
The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa will bring together delegations from 56 countries across Africa, the Caribbean and Americas, Europe, Asia, and the Pacific. The overall theme of this year’s meeting is: ‘One Resilient Common Future: Transforming Our Common Wealth’.
In His Majesty’s first Commonwealth Day message as Sovereign, in March 2023, The King said of the Commonwealth: ‘Its near-boundless potential as a force for good in the world demands our highest ambition; its sheer scale challenges us to unite and be bold.’ CHOGM 2024 will see some of that ambition and unity on display with an emphasis on resilience across 4 key areas – resilient societies and peoples, resilient democratic institutions, a resilient environment and resilient economies.
As Head of the Commonwealth, The King, accompanied by The Queen, will attend the CHOGM Opening Ceremony and will host a Dinner for Commonwealth Heads of Government. The King will also host a Reception for New Heads of Government and will attend the CHOGM Business Forum to hear about progress on sustainable urbanisation and investment in solutions to tackle climate change.
Gender Equality and Women’s empowerment is one of CHOGM’s key themes, and Her Majesty will attend a side event to the Women’s Forum on the subject of ‘Advocating for Women and Girls in the Commonwealth’, with a focus on eliminating violence against women and improving health.
