King Charles has scrapped the use of the term ‘walkabout’ to describe his mingling with the public on his upcoming royal visit to Australia, so as to avoid offending Aboriginal Australians.
Charles III, 75, and Queen Camilla, 77, will visit Sydney and Canberra from October 18 to 22 before the couple end their tour in Samoa on the 26th.
The term ‘walkabout’ was first coined by the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip during her majesty’s royal visit to Australia and New Zealand in 1970.
It refers to the informal occasions when royal family meet members of the public waiting outside events.
In Aboriginal culture, walkabout describes a period of meditation or grief when a affected person undertakes solo walks in the bush.
The official itinerary indicates that the term ‘royal walkabout’ will instead be replaced with ‘an opportunity to meet the public’.
The tour will mark the first visit to Australia by the King and Queen since his ascension to the throne upon the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Charles III and Queen Camilla (pictured in 2012) will visit Sydney and Canberra from October 18 to 22 before the couple end their tour in Samoa on the 26th
The official itinerary indicates that the ‘royal walkabout’ will instead be replaced with ‘an opportunity to meet the public’ (pictured, Charles with an Indigenous elder in 2018)
It will also be the first visit to Australia by a reigning monarch since 2011, when Queen Elizabeth II last toured Australia, and the 17th official visit by Charles.
The formal part of the visit will be to recognise those Australians who have made contributions to public life.
The King is also expected to visit the Australian War Memorial in Canberra to honour soldiers and war veterans.
He is set to attend discussions about the efforts to combat bushfires that affect communities during the summer every year.
The King and Queen will also attend a community barbeque in western Sydney and will also meet locals from the area.
Charles was forced to cancel a planned trip to New Zealand on health advice following his cancer diagnosis in earlier this year.
He will instead conclude the tour by travelling to Samoa for a Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).
The official itinerary for the King and Queen (pictured on the Gold Coast in 2018) indicates that the ‘royal walkabout’ will instead be replaced with ‘an opportunity to meet the public’
He provided a rare health update while he addressed the New Zealand women’s rugby union team at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday.
‘I am extremely sorry I can’t come to New Zealand in late October because of doctor’s orders, but I hope there will be another excuse before too long,’ he told them.
The King has continued to work throughout his treatment and officials from Buckingham Palace have said his ongoing treatment is going ‘very well’.
A Palace spokesman said the upcoming royal visit will be scaled back to account for the health requirements of His Majesty.
‘We’ve had to, as you would with any visit, think about how you can ensure Their Majesties’ energies are preserved to be at their best,’ the spokesman said.
‘We’ve had to make some difficult decisions about the program with the Australian government, about where Their Majesties can get to.’