Royal news live: King Charles given military honours on first day of landmark Australia visit

Prince William has praised the work of the Duchy College after a visit to Cornwall, where the heir to the throne met its students on campus.

A statement on the official Kensington Palace Twitter/X account read: “The @DuchyCollege does a brilliant job providing opportunities for young people in rural areas to foster a successful career.

“A great morning in Cornwall spent chatting about the future of farming, getting hands-on with CSI-focused course tasks and meeting students on campus.”

The post was accompanied by footage of William meeting with students to learn more about their studies and ambitions. The college has two campuses in Rosewarne and Stoke Climsland, Cornwall.

King Charles and Queen Camilla have issued an excited joint statement ahead of their historic tour of Australia.

It read: “Ahead of our first visit to Australia as King and Queen, we are really looking forward to returning to this beautiful country to celebrate the extraordinarily rich cultures and communities that make it so special.

“See you there! – Charles R & Camilla R.”

The statement was accompanied by archive footage from previous royal tours of the country.

King Charles is set to begin his eight-day tour of Australia and Samoa today.

The monarch’s first visit to Australia since taking the throne has been compared to the late Queen Elizabeth II’s historic 1954 tour of the country.

Dr George Gross, royal historian and visiting research fellow at King’s College London, said: “This is a tour of significant firsts. Although King Charles III has travelled to Australia many times, this will be his first visit there as sovereign and the first tour to the country by a reigning monarch since 2011.

“It will also be the King’s first official overseas tour since his cancer diagnosis, his first to a Commonwealth realm and, while visiting Samoa, he will lead the first Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting of his reign.

“It is notable too that he is visiting Australia in the year after his coronation, as this echoes the 1954 tour by his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II following her coronation in 1953.”

The visit will be Charles’s 17th visit to Australia in his lifetime.

King Charles is set to be met with anti-monarchy protests when he arrives in Australia with Queen Camilla on Friday.

Alongside protests from people within Australia, Graham Smith, the chief executive officer of the UK-based anti-monarchy group Republic, said he was travelling down under “to challenge the royal PR machine”.

Mr Smith said: “I’m in Australia to talk about why the UK should ditch the monarchy and to challenge the royal PR machine.

“I’m not here to tell Australia to become a republic, but to talk to Australians and the British press about the growing republican movement in the UK and the huge failings of the British monarchy.

“The message is simple: Charles does not speak for us, he does not represent us, he should go home.”

Can the royal family and King Charles adapt to the modern age and stay relevant? Will Harry be able to rejoin The Firm? And what will the next generation of royalty be like?

These and more questions from our audience were answered in The Independent’s premium event on the future of the royal family.

Hosted by assistant editor Victoria Harper, the panel features bestselling authors Anna Pasternak and Tessa Dunlop, plus royal historian Jonathan Spangler.

Watch the full event here. If you enjoy our virtual events, please consider supporting The Independent with a donation or by subscribing to Independent Premium.

Though not an official tour, the then-Prince Charles did visit Australia to study for six months when he was a teenager in 1966.

The trip, which saw Charles spend two terms at a boarding school campus in Victoria, was described by the prince, then 17, as “the best” experience of his educational life.

Now, almost six decades later, this week’s visit will mark King Charles’s 17th trip to Australia.

The royal family has anticipated King Charles’s upcoming visit to Australia on Friday – his first as a reigning monarch.

An official statement read: “70 years ago, in 1954, Queen Elizabeth II became the first reigning British Sovereign to visit Australia.

“Tomorrow, The King will arrive for his own first visit as Sovereign, accompanied by Queen Camilla.

“During the visit, The King will follow in his mother’s footsteps - seven decades on - by addressing Parliament in Canberra.”

The statement was accompanied by footage from the late Queen’s visit, which showed the enormous crowds that had gathered to welcome her and Prince Philip to Australia.

The Duke of Sussex tried his hand at riding waves at a “surf ranch” in California, video posted on Wednesday, 16 October shows.

Prince Harry navigated the waters at Kelly Slater’s facility in Leemore, which is more than 100 miles from the sea.

Professional surfer Raimana Van Bastolaer posted footage of the royal’s endeavours on his Instagram account.

Van Bastolaer said: “In Tahiti, we still call you Prince Harry.

“But at Surf Ranch, it’s my brother. It was an honour to have you surf with me and Kelly Slater.”

Prince William was supported by the late Princess Diana’s nieces at last night’s Centrepoint Awards in London.

Lady Kitty Spencer, Lady Amelia Spencer and Lady Eliza Spencer were all in attendance at the event, which recognised the achievements of young people working to help the homeless.

Kitty, Amelia and Eliza are all the daughters of Earl Spencer, 64, Diana’s younger brother.

William, who has also recently launched his own Homewards project to tackle homelessness, has been a patron of the charity since 2005.

Centrepoint provides support and accommodation to people aged 18 to 25 who are experiencing homelessness in the UK.

Prince William has praised the winners of the Centrepoint Awards following last night’s ceremony in London.

The charity, of which William, 42, is a patron, provides support and accommodation to young people aged 18 to 25 who are affected by homelessness.

The awards recognised those making notable contributions in this area.

Taking to the official Kensington Palace Twitter/X account, the heir to the throne wrote: “The @centrepointuk Award winners and finalists have overcome so much and achieved incredible things in leadership, education and their communities. Congratulations to you all!”