King Charles III is heading to Australia for the first time since his accession to the throne and will also stop at the South Pacific island of Samoa, where he will attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
Along with Queen Camilla, Charles will go on his first major overseas tour from October 18 to 26, just eight months after being diagnosed with cancer.
When he acceded to the throne in September 2022 following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Charles became the king of 15 countries, including Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
Buckingham Palace announced details of the king and queen's trip on September 10, revealing that the couple will undertake joint and individual engagements in the cities of Canberra and Sydney.
While Charles and Camilla will meet hundreds, if not thousands, of people during their trip, they will not be undertaking what has traditionally been called a royal "walkabout."
The term originated from early in Elizabeth's reign to describe her habit of walking among the crowds of people who gathered to watch her appearances, shaking hands and engaging in brief conversations as she went.
The walkabout has become an established element of any royal visit. Charles made his first walkabout as king just 24 hours after his accession, greeting crowds who gathered outside Buckingham Palace to mourn his mother.
However, according to reports, for the Australia visit at least Charles has made a sensitive change to tradition, with any meetings with well-wishers or members of the public being rebranded and not referred to as walkabouts in any official capacity.
This is being done as a mark of respect from the king to members of the Indigenous community in Australia, many of whom traditionally use the word "walkabout" to refer to a journey made on foot into the bush or wilderness, often as part of a spiritual journey of discovery.
Charles' visit to Australia will follow a year of health challenges as he has undertaken a lengthy course of treatment following a cancer diagnosis in February.
After two months of reduced public exposure, the king resumed his regular round of in-person engagements, though the furthest he has traveled outside of the U.K. for any official reason has been to attend the 80th anniversary commemorations of the D-Day landings in France in June.
The Australia trip is significant as it will mark Charles' first official visit to a Commonwealth realm (a country of which he is monarch) since his accession.
So far, Charles has undertaken official trips to Germany, France and Kenya, but faced criticism for not having visited any of the major overseas realms first. Kenya is a member of the Commonwealth, but Charles is not the king of that country.
In a signal of the king's ongoing health issues, his trip to Australia will not include a visit to the neighboring country of New Zealand, where he is also monarch.
In July, when the tour was first announced, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said that the decision not to continue to New Zealand had been made in consultation with the king's doctors.
"The king's doctors have advised that such an extended programme should be avoided at this time, to prioritize his majesty's continued recovery," they said.
"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."
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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