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TAKING FLIGHT
King Charles and Queen Camilla will go on TWO major tours next year – after ‘perfect tonic’ trip Down Under
Long trips to be signed off by Royal doctors due to King's ongoing cancer treatment
THE King and Queen have lined up a trip to Italy as they resume a full schedule of foreign tours after the success of their nine-day tour Down Under.
Buckingham Palace has given the green light for the couple to embark on TWO major tours in 2025 after describing Australia and Samoa as "the perfect tonic" for raising the King's spirit.
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His cancer treatment - which was paused during the trip - will continue.
The Sun can reveal Italy has been earmarked as one of the trips.
It is expected the King and Queen will visit Rome but it is not thought they will have face-to-face with the Pope in Vatican City.
Italy was set to be Kate and William's first joint excursion after becoming Prince and Princess of Wales last Spring.
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But it was cancelled after Kate, 42, was diagnosed with cancer.
Palace sources insist the trip to Italy has not yet been finalised or officially confirmed.
And point out the King and Queen's foreign trips agreed on the advice of the Foreign Office.
Insiders also say while Italy is being planned any long trip will have to be signed off by Royal doctors due to the King's ongoing cancer treatment.
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It will be the King and Queen's third joint trip to a European neighbour since the crowning.
Their tours of France and Germany last year were hailed as a diplomatic and trade success.
After the trip to Berlin and Hamburg a government official said the visit formed a "rebooting" of relations and the State Visit smoothed talks on "foreign policy, trade, defence and cultural issues".
The second foreign tour of 2025 has yet to be agreed.
Buckingham Palace had earmarked a trip for Charles and Camilla during the autumn of 2022 but had to cancel following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
The Indian subcontinent including Pakistan, Bangladesh and India had been rumoured.
But Canada, which is a realm where the King is Head of State, has been ruled out for the royal couple in 2025 because it's an election year.
The King has been to Italy around 19 times including trips to Vatican City with Camilla meeting Pope Benedict XVI in 2009 and seeing Pope Francis in 2017.
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He was last in Italy to attend the G20 summit in 2021.
A spokesman for Buckingham Palace declined to comment.
Charles and Camilla's Australia tour
BY Matt Wilkinson
THE KING joked about his age and the length of his speeches as he kicked off his historic tour of Australia.
Charles, 75, described his "great joy" for being in the country and said he is Down Under to "renew a love" of the country and people "I have cherished for so long”.
He undertook his first major ceremonial duty - and an impromptu royal walkabout - at the New South Wales Legislative Council to mark its bicentenary
He seemed in high spirits and raised a lacy in the chamber when he joked about the ‘slightly worrying’ fact that he first came to the country nearly sixty years ago.
And did not come empty handed as he reviewed an hourglass gift to mark the occasion.
In his speech, The King said: "With the sands of time encouraging brevity, it just remains for me to say what a great joy it is to come to Australia for the first time as Sovereign, and to renew a love of this country and its people which I have cherished for so long.”
He added: “So, thank you, thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for making me feel so very welcome.”
Charles was not accompanied by the Queen during the engagement.
He also joked with lawmakers, telling them: “Since I was here in 1974, and incidentally I first came to Oz nearly 60 years ago, which is slightly worrying — this place and the people within it have continued to uphold strong representative traditions.”
But after his speech he made a surprise trip to greet well-wishers who waited ten deep outside.
Royal fan Robert said: “We are not a nation of republicans, we love the monarchy and are overjoyed about them being here.
"They [local officials] have been very secretive about what they are doing and most people are here by chance.
"The people will come out to greet them warmly if they let us.”
Others called out “welcome back”, "great to see you" and "thank you for coming".
"It’s fantastic to be here," he said. “I am so pleased to be back.”
Gerald and Christine Fletcher, from Jersey, who are on holiday in Australia, told the King: “Welcome back. We are from the UK, all the way here to see you. Well done for coming.”
Charles replied: “I am so glad to be here."
The King has listed his cancer treatment during his and Camilla’s nine day trip to Australia and Samoa.
His doctor Michael Deakin is at engagements, which is normal, and there was an ambulance in the motorcade as it drove through Sydney.
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