Royal news live: King Charles sends message to Australia as monarch arrives for first visit since cancer diagnosis

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.”

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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!”

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

The monarch, 75, who will be accompanied by Queen Camilla, is reported to be temporarily pausing his cancer treatment for the trip.

Charles will arrive in Sydney, Australia, tomorrow, where he and the queen will have the honour of watching a special show on the Sydney Oprah House, which will be illuminated by images from previous royal tours.

The Prince of Wales has been praised for his “incredible” work in attempting to end homelessness in the UK following yesterday’s Centrepoint Awards.

William, 42, who is the charity’s patron, presented an award to 26-year-old Zoe at the British Museum event, who said she had been left inspired by the recognition.

Centrepoint provides support and accommodation to young homeless people aged between 18 and 25 in the UK.

“It’s been kind of surreal. It was really nice to meet the Prince of Wales. He was actually genuine and he actually wanted to speak to us. It was nice,” Zoe, whose surname remains private, said.

“It was surreal [to win an award],” she added. “I think it’s given me a lot of push to think about the future as well and the kind of things that I want to do.”

Praising William’s anti-homelessness initiative Homewards, she said: “I think what he’s doing is actually incredible. I don’t think there would be many people in his position that had the power to do what he’s doing. I think he’s actually really pushing for it.

“I really hope (it can bring hope to others). I think it does for me and I think it does for quite a lot of people. Hopefully we’ll get to where we want to be and where he wants to be as well.”

Prince William has called upon the British public to support his efforts to end homelessness.

Admitting that he likes a “challenge”, he has admitted that this is one area where change cannot be made without people coming together on a large scale.

The revelation was shared in a new clip ahead of the release of the royal’s new ITV documentary about the subject, Prince William: We Can End Homelessness.

“I like a big challenge, I do like that, but I can’t do it on my own,” he said.

The programme follows the prince during the first year of his anti-homelessness initiative, Homewards.