King Charles's Australia tour - and why it nearly did not happen

Eight months after his cancer diagnosis was revealed, this royal tour is important for Charles - and the monarchy.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatchHomeNewsUS ElectionSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifyUS ElectionElection pollsKamala HarrisDonald TrumpJD VanceTim WalzSportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessWomen at the HelmFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsUS ElectionSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthVideoLiveAudioWeatherNewslettersKing of Australia's royal tour nearly didn't happenGetty ImagesKing Charles III and Queen Camilla are due to arrive in Australia on Friday on a historic royal tour.

Eight months ago, I didn’t think I’d be writing those words.

In February, Buckingham Palace announced the King had cancer and all his “public-facing duties” stopped - on doctors’ orders.

Back then, a trip to Australia seemed unthinkable. A flight of around 24 hours, a punishing time difference, and days of royal engagements would surely be too much for a 75-year-old dealing with a cancer diagnosis and embarking on treatment.

But palace aides never took this trip completely off the table - whenever it came up, their language was careful. “It’s not been ruled out”, they’d say, or “decisions will be made on the advice of doctors”, and “the King needs to focus on treatment for cancer first”.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c93y2r75ky7o

---