'Give My Love to New Zealand': King Charles Expresses Regret for 'Doctor's Orders' Preventing Monarch From Touring Beloved Kiwi Nation
King Charles III will not be able to tour New Zealand along with Australia this fall due to 'doctor's orders' concerning his cancer battle.
It is typically customary for a royal tour to Australia to include New Zealand. However, King Charles III's first trip down under as monarch will only include an additional stop in Samoa this October.
During a meeting with the Kiwi nation's women's rugby union on Wednesday, September 11, His Majesty shared, "I am extremely sorry I can't come to New Zealand in [late] October because of doctor's orders."
"But I hope there will be another excuse before too long," the monarch added.
The King, when heir to the throne, last visited the nation in November 2019 along with Queen Camilla, then-Duchess of Cornwall. Australia will be Their Majesties' first tour of a Commonwealth realm since the King's accession to the throne two years ago.
King Charles also memorably toured New Zealand (and Australia) for six weeks in the spring of 1983, along with his ex-wife, Diana, Princess of Wales, and a nine-month-old Prince William.
The monarch's first visit to a Commonwealth realm as monarch, which is the 15 nations that recognize the British sovereign as head of state, is making news for reasons related to his current health.
"The King, who has this year been receiving treatment for cancer, will meet Professor Georgina Long and Professor Richard Scolyer and will hear about the work to help those affected by melanoma," the press release added.
Inevitably, for many royal enthusiasts, it will be hard not to compare Charles III's first Australian tour with that of his predecessor Queen Elizabeth II's in 1954.
"The late Queen Elizabeth visited every state of Australia, every territory, including seven capital cities and 70 towns, in 58 days," royal correspondent Cameron Walker shared. "In contrast, the King is going to be spending, we understand, less than a week in Australia and he's only going to be visiting Sydney and Canberra."
"As we knew, doctors had given the King the green light to travel. It is going to be the first long-haul travel the King has done since his cancer diagnosis," he added. "But it's very clear from the information I've received this afternoon that adaptions have been made. For example, New Zealand originally was on the agenda for the King and Queen to travel to — that has now been ruled out on doctor's advice."
Reflecting the King and Queen's advanced ages at 75 and 76, respectively, Walker further observed, "Time has been factored in for the King to rest between engagements and between travel. Of course, it's a long way to go, halfway across the world, in order to keep his energy levels up on that tour."
Charles III and the Queen will tour Australia and visit Samoa from October 18 to 26.
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GBN reported on the King's trip.
