Buckingham Palace's move not to include a key Commonwealth realm during King Charles III and Queen Camilla's biggest royal tour since taking the throne shows that the monarch's health is still a concern as he continues treatment for cancer.
It was announced earlier this month that Charles and Camilla will visit Australia and Samoa in October, where the king will attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa's capital city, Apia.
The tour will be the monarch's first major overseas visit since announcing his cancer diagnosis back in February.
After an initial period of scaled-down engagements and reduced public meetings, Charles' doctors gave him clearance to resume an increased workload in April. However, they made it clear his recovery was still in process and that his treatment remains ongoing.
The announcement of the Australia and Samoa tour itinerary notably omits a visit to another Commonwealth realm (countries that are members of the Commonwealth but which also have Charles as their monarch).
New Zealand, the island nation located to the southeast of Australia, will not be visited by its new king and queen. This, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson has said, is on the advice of Charles' doctors not to extend his tour to include more days.
"The King's doctors have advised that such an extended programme should be avoided at this time, to prioritize His Majesty's continued recovery," a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said at the time of the new tour's announcement.
"In close consultation with the Australian and New Zealand Prime Ministers, and with due regard for the pressures of time and logistics, it has therefore been agreed to limit the visit to Samoa and Australia only. Their Majesties send their warmest thanks and good wishes to all parties for their continued support and understanding."
The development shows that, while Charles may be making increasing public appearances, with visits to the Channel Islands as well as undertaking Trooping the Colour, the State Opening of Parliament and trips to Wales and Scotland, his health is still a concern.
While visiting Australia, the king and queen will not undertake a wide-ranging tour, which may have been expected upon a new monarch's first visit to the country; instead, it has also been scaled down.
"Their Majesties will visit the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales and Samoa," the palace spokesperson said of the tour.
"As with all His Majesty's recent engagements, his programme in both countries will be subject to doctors' advice, and any necessary modifications on health grounds."
New Zealand is an important Commonwealth realm, with the country's prime ministers making regular visits to Britain in recent years.
In her 70-year reign, Queen Elizabeth II visited New Zealand on 10 separate occasions and during his time as Prince of Wales, Charles made the same number of visits.
There is a republican movement in New Zealand, as in Australia and other Commonwealth realms, which would remove the monarchy and replace the king with a different head of state.
However, polling of 2,000 people conducted in May 2023 by Lord Ashcroft Polls before Charles' coronation found that 44 percent of New Zealanders would vote to remain a constitutional monarchy if a referendum were to be held tomorrow.
This was opposed to 34 percent who said they would vote to become a republic and 22 percent who responded that they did not know.
The same poll found that 62 percent of respondents believe that the monarchy brings more stability to the country than if it were to be without it. Thirty-eight percent disagreed.
Newsweek approached Buckingham Palace via email for comment.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
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