King Charles is set to ‘follow in his mother’s footsteps’ during his state visit to Australia.
The 75-year-old monarch touched down in Sydney today (Friday, October 18), marking his first state visit to the country since he ascended the throne. During the six-day visit, he will address Parliament in Canberra, just as Queen Elizabeth II did during her own state visit.
Charles’ late mother became the first reigning British Sovereign to visit Australia back in 1954, 70 years before her son jetted off Down Under. Posting to X (formerly Twitter), the official Royal Family account shared the news with a touching post honouring the late Queen’s visit.
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It read: “70 years ago, in 1954, Queen Elizabeth II became the first reigning British Sovereign to visit Australia. Tomorrow, The King will arrive for his own first visit as Sovereign, accompanied by Queen Camilla.
“During the visit, The King will follow in his mother’s footsteps – seven decades on – by addressing Parliament in Canberra.”
Accompanying the message was a video showing the Queen’s historic visit. In the comments, fans all said the same thing as they praised the monarchs for their visit.
“That’s a fascinating piece of history! Queen Elizabeth II’s visit in 1954 was indeed a significant event, marking the first time a reigning British monarch had set foot in Australia. It was a grand affair, with the Queen and Prince Philip traveling extensively across the country and being warmly received by the public.”
“God Save The King,” said another. “I hope Their Majesties will have a wonderful time.”
Meanwhile a third chimed in: “I am looking to seeing all about The King and Queen’s visit to Australia.”
The visit is considered fairly short and will feature a scaled-back itinerary as Charles continues recovering from cancer. Doctors permitted him to put his treatment on pause, the Daily Mail previously reported. The visit will not only see him stop in Sydney and Canberra, but will then be followed by a State Visit to Samoa for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).
The news comes after the King and Queen were “snubbed” by Australian political leaders before they even landed in the country. News of Charles and Camilla’s visit received a lukewarm reception, with their scheduled reception in Canberra receiving cold shoulders from state premiers who declined invites due to prior commitments.
Buckingham Palace has confirmed the monarch will speak to community and political leaders at the event amidst Australian media calling the premiers’ absences an “insult” to the Royal couple.
However, the Sydney Opera House’s iconic sails were illuminated with images of previous royal visits in honour of the couple.