The King and Queen will visit Australia later this year, the federal government has confirmed.

The King, 75, who is still being treated for cancer, and Queen, 76, will visit Canberra and New South Wales in October.

It will be his first visit to Australia since he became King and the first by a reigning monarch since 2011, when Queen Elizabeth II went to Canberra, Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth.

The King has visited 15 times previously, including spending time at a school in Victoria in 1966.

His last visit in 2018 – to open the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast – also took in parts of Queensland and the Northern Territory.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said planning for the tour was well under way.

“I am honoured to welcome the King and Queen on their first royal visit to Australia later this year. They are always welcome visitors,” he said.

“The King has a deep regard for our great nation, and has always spoken warmly of the time he has spent here and the astounding beauty of our extraordinary continent.

“I look forward to welcoming the King and Queen back to Australia for this important visit.”

I look forward to welcoming Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla to Australia in October this year. pic.twitter.com/ZPS5I9asNj

— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) July 14, 2024

The visit will be timed to coincide with the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), which begins in Samoa on October 21. It is not yet known if the royals will visit Australia first or after.

CHOGM brings together delegations from 56 countries in Africa, the Caribbean and Americas, Europe, Asia and the Pacific.

In Samoa, the royals will celebrate “the strong bilateral relationship” between the Pacific Island nation and the UK.

The visit was initially also meant to include New Zealand but appears to have been scaled back, likely out of consideration for the King’s health.

Buckingham Palace said the couple’s program while overseas would be subject to doctors’ advice, with modifications on health grounds still possible.

Governor-General Sam Mostyn said the King had a deep connection to Australia.

“His Majesty the King has a well-known deep affection for and connection to the people of Australia and he was very much looking forward to his first visit to Australia since becoming King,” she said.

“I look forward to welcoming Their Majesties to Australia and, during the visit, showcasing the very best of our modern and diverse nation.”

Treasurer Jim Chalmers said while he and Albanese wanted Australia to become a republic, there was respect for the role of the King.

“We should have one of our own as our head of state, but that’s not to disrespect or diminish the important role that the King has or the affection that a lot of Australians have for King Charles and for his family,” he said in Canberra.

“We can be an Australian republic and maintain that respect and that regard for King Charles and for his family, and I think that’s the course that we should take when we can manage it.”

Australian Republican Movement chief executive Isaac Jeffrey said the visit was a chance to reassess Australia’s relationship with the monarchy.

“While we respect the role the royals have played in the nation to date, it’s time for Australia to elect a local to serve as our head of state,” he said.

“While we welcome the opportunity for Aussies to ask these questions and consider the benefits of a republic which the visit will raise, we do question the cost of such a visit.

“Aussie taxpayers will be slugged with the costs right at the moment they are experiencing incredible cost-of-living challenges.”

NSW Premier Chris Minns said the King would be a welcome visitor to the state.

“I’ve got no doubt that Sydneysiders, people from NSW, will turn out to warmly welcome the King,” he said.

“It’s very pleasing that he’s chosen this great state to visit.”

-with AAP