King Charles to skip New Zealand during Downunder trip

King Charles and Queen Camilla will reportedly skip New Zealand and shorten their time in Australia during their upcoming tour Downunder. Photo / Getty Images

King Charles and Queen Camilla will reportedly skip New Zealand and shorten his time in Australia during his upcoming tour Downunder.

According to the Mirror, the King has changed his plans for the Oceania tour due to doctors’ fears he was doing too much following his cancer diagnosis.

He and Queen Camilla would still be touring Australia and Samoa in October, but, his Australian tour has been cut by six days.

The royal tour will incorporate a visit to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa.

King Charles last visited New Zealand as the Prince of Wales, with Camilla as the Duchess of Cornwall in 2019. Pictures / Alan Gibson

However, he has now reportedly dropped the visit to New Zealand from his itinerary completely.

One Buckingham Palace insider told the Mirror: “Naturally, it will be a bitter disappointment on both sides to not have the opportunity for the King and Queen to visit New Zealand, but of course, all are aware of the King’s ongoing health and the need for him to pace himself.

“It’s very much hoped there will be further opportunities in the future.”

King Charles last visited New Zealand as the Prince of Wales, with Camilla as the Duchess of Cornwall in 2019, making stops in Auckland, Waitangi, Christchurch and Kaikōura.

The most recent royal visit saw Princess Anne and her husband Sir Tim Laurence travel to New Zealand in February 2023.

The Princess Royal had to change her itinerary at the last minute as the country reeled from the impact of Cyclone Gabrielle. She had initially planned to visit Linton, near Palmerston North, to attend the 100th anniversary celebrations of the NZ Army’s Royal New Zealand Corps of Signals, of which she is Colonel in Chief.

Instead, she visited response staff at the Beehive Bunker, met with riders and volunteers at the Riding for the Disabled Association in Porirua, and visited Christchurch to lay a wreath at the Citizens’ War Memorial before wrapping up her visit.