Prince Charles And Camilla’s Second Joint Visit To Australia.
Prince Charles of Wales and his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, will visit Australia in November this year, the Prime Minister says. The trip will be Prince Charles and Camilla’s second joint visit to Australia.
They visited the country in November of 2012 to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. In a statement, Mr. Abbott welcomed the announcement.
“Recent visits by Prince Harry and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have further strengthened the relationship between Australia and the United Kingdom,” he said.
According to the Associated Press, The Prince of Wales and the duchess have announced they will make their second joint tour of Australia and New Zealand again this November. The royal couple last visited in November, 2012, on a two-week tour to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in which they made a whirlwind five state visit in six days. But this trip could be a little more relaxed with more playtime. Clarence House has declined to reveal their itinerary yet, but last Australia Day, Camilla forecast her desire to return if only for the food, wine, and people.
In a rare public admission at an Australia Day food and wine fair in central London, she said she hated flying but was prepared to make a return long-haul flight to Australia for the Wagyu beef, and Barossa, and Tasmanian wines.
“I hate flying but I hope to come on many more occasions especially now I’ve tasted all this wonderful food and delicious wine,” she said at the time.
“I love the food and wine industry, I have a son who is a foodie, who writes a lot about food, my father was in the wine business so they are two things very, very close to my heart. I have sampled Australia’s fine wine and delicious food and I know that us here in Britain have a very strong competitor over the water and as I said I hope to come (again) and sample a lot more.”
It will be Prince Charles’ 13th visit to Australia, with the 66-year-old heir to the throne often enthusing about his love affair with the country that began when, as an 18-year-old in 1966, he spent two terms at Geelong Grammar and would later ask whether he could be a Governor-General of Australia. His latest trip could coincide with his birthday, which is on November 14.
Last October, the couple threw a party for 200 London-based Australian and New Zealanders including Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan, Barry Humphries, and soprano Dame Kiri Te Kanawa. The palace has, in recent years, looked for opportunities to strengthen relations between the monarchy and Australia, fearful the country knew little about Camilla and only controversy surrounding Charles. Their first trip together in Australia was seen as a huge success, and, according to Clarence House, was designed to meet as many ordinary citizens as possible. The couple attended a community BBQ in Queensland, made a school visit in Adelaide, and met with the armed forces.
The latest announcement from Clarence House comes after Prince Harry returned from four weeks’ training with the Australian Defence Force in April, followed by a week-long tour to New Zealand in May. Charles and Camilla frequently conduct official visits in the autumn. The couple visited Colombia at the end of October last year, and in 2013 they spent a week in India.
[Image Via telegraph.co.uk]
