King Charles and Queen Camilla visit Australia and Samoa

King Charles III and Queen Camilla are due to visit Australia and Samoa in October, as the monarch takes on more public duties while receiving treatment for cancer.

The two leaders are scheduled to visit the Australian Capital Territory and New South Wales, before heading to Samoa for a Commonwealth summit.

The king is set to make the long trip despite being diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer earlier this year.

But Buckingham Palace confirmed the couple would not visit New Zealand, saying doctors had advised against a prolonged visit for health reasons.

“After close consultation with the Prime Ministers of Australia and New Zealand, and taking into account time and logistical pressures, it was agreed that the visit would be limited to Samoa and Australia only,” the palace said in a statement.

This will be the King’s first visit to Australia as monarch, and his first official overseas tour since his cancer diagnosis.

In Samoa, they will attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

In Australia, their programme includes visits to the Australian Capital Territory and New South Wales.

The couple are expected to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, which brings together delegations from 56 Commonwealth countries.

More details about the visit to the two countries are expected to be announced soon, and the couple’s programme and changes to the schedule will be subject to the advice of their doctor.

Australians voted narrowly against severing ties with the monarchy in a referendum in 1999, but calls for another vote have continued for a quarter of a century.

A vote on becoming a republic is a long-standing policy of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese – but in January the government indicated it was shelving the referendum, saying it was not a priority.

Buckingham Palace confirmed in February that the king would take a break from some public engagements while he received treatment for cancer.

They said at the time that it was not prostate cancer, and that it was discovered during treatment for an enlarged prostate.