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The visit will take place between October 16 and 31 and will centre around the Invictus Games in Sydney.
Kensington Palace said the programme of the trip “will focus on youth leadership, environmental and conservation efforts – including the dedication of several new Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy projects – and the recovery and rehabilitation of servicemen and women through the Invictus Games Sydney 2018.”
The games will see more than 500 veterans from 18 nations competing in 11 sports from October 20 to 27.
The four Commonwealth countries will host the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge after Harry was appointed Commonwealth youth ambassador in April.
The palace said a detailed itinerary will be announced in due course, but here is what we know so far:
- Tuesday 16th October: Sydney, Australia
- Wednesday 17th October: Dubbo, Australia
- Thursday 18th October: Melbourne, Australia
- Friday 19th October: Sydney, Australia
- Saturday 20th October: Sydney, Australia
- Sunday 21st October: Sydney, Australia
- Monday 22nd October: Fraser Island, Australia
- Tuesday 23rd October: Suva, Fiji
- Wednesday 24th October: Suva, Fiji
- Thursday 25th October: Nadi, Fiji and Nuku’alofa, Tonga
- Friday 26th October: Nuku’alofa, Tonga and Sydney, Australia
- Saturday 27th October: Sydney, Australia
- Sunday 28th October: Wellington, New Zealand
- Monday 29th October: Wellington and Abel Tasman, New Zealand
- Tuesday 30th October: Auckland, New Zealand
- Wednesday 31st October: Rotorua, New Zealand
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull previously welcomed the news of the royal couple’s visit to Australia, and stated Australians will be excited to greet them.
He said: “The Duke of Sussex has become a champion for war veterans around the world, including in Australia.
“His attendance, alongside the Duchess of Sussex, will be a wonderful highlight for the more than 500 competitors and thousands of spectators.”
The couple are expected to use the opportunity to catch up with some of Meghan’s friends who live in Australia, including former Suits co-stars Gabriel Macht and wife Jacinda Barrett.
This won’t be the first time members of the Royal Family have headed to these parts of the world.
Prince William and his wife Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, completed a hotly-anticipated tour in 2014.
Kate and William’s trip was an opportunity to “celebrate Australia’s and New Zealand’s success in the fields of technology, tourism, sports and the creative arts”, the Palace said back in 2014.
The visit coincided with Australia’s Anzac Day, the national day of war remembrance.
Since 1867, there have been more than 50 visits by a member of the family to Australia.
In 1981, Princess Diana visited just one week after Prince Charles had proposed, with people lining the streets to catch a glimpse of her.
Queen Elizabeth II is the only reigning monarch of Australia, to ever set foot on Australian soil, which she first did in 1954, also heading to New Zealand.
In the Maori language, the Queen is known as Kotuku, which means “the white heron”, a bird rarely seen in New Zealand.
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