Get ready, heir they come again! Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall have revealed the details of their royal tour, in which they will visit seven regions of our country this month.
On November 4, the royal tour kicks off in Wellington and the couple will visit Dunedin, Westport, Nelson, Ngaruawahia, New Plymouth and Auckland, before they head to Australia to continue their meet and greet until November 15.
Communications from Clarence House suggest that their engagements will reflect a wish to focus on three key themes – community, culture and conservation.
For community, Charles (66) will visit Nga Rangatahi Toa, which is an organisation that provides intensive creative arts mentoring. With an interest in culture, Camilla (68) is scheduled to attend a literary reception at the University of Otago.
The conservation focus will be covered as their trip coincides with Conservation Week in New Zealand – November 1-8. They are set to visit the Orokonui Ecosanctuary to learn about the work being undertaken to preserve our native species.
Also on the itinerary is a welcome to Turangawaewae Marae, where they’ll view a waka armada on the Waikato River. Earlier this year, Prime Minister John Key announced that the Queen had given approval for Charles to be awarded three military titles, which are likely to be formally recognised on the visit.
Charles will be made Admiral of the fleet of the Royal New Zealand Navy, a Field Marshal for the army and Marshal of the Royal New Zealand Air Force. A visit to the National War Memorial in Wellington is in the diary, as is a military exercise in Westport. It won’t be all work and no play, though. The duo will also sample our country’s food and wine during a tour of Nelson.
Charles has visited our shores nine times – including his 2012 visit with Camilla – and it’s hoped he’ll have more fun than on his 1981 trip. In a letter that recently went up for auction, penned in April 1981 and sent to a friend, he bemoaned his visit, writing, “The real problem is keeping up my enthusiasm on each new day because I am beginning to get fed up with the amount of nonsensical rubbish I take all day and every day! If one more child asks me what it’s like to be a prince, I shall go demented.”
