King Charles and Queen Camilla will visit Australia later this year, the country’s prime minister has confirmed.

The trip is expected to take place in late October, as they coincide the royal tour with their planned visit to Samoa for the Commonwealth Heads of Goverment Meeting.

A government spokesperson told The Australian newspaper that “the prime minister enjoys a warm relationship with the King, and looks forward to welcoming His Majesty to Australia later this year”.

The trip coincides with Australia’s Bicentenary, which marks 200 years of democracy down under. Celebrations will include the 2024 Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference, a travelling exhibition through rural and regional Australia, the commission of a major Indigenous artwork and the establishment of a young Indigenous leaders program, as well as prominent speakers.

Charles’s visit to Australia will mark the first time a King has set foot on Australian soil and the first time he will have visited since his accession.

The trip also marks 13 years since a ruling monarch has gone down under, as the late Queen Elizabeth last visited in October 2011.

Charles and Camilla’s visit to Australia will prove to be a major test for the newly crowned couple amid rising republican sentiment.

Buckingham Palace declined to comment as the visit is believed to be in the early planning stages. Aides have not yet released details of any planned royal trips for 2024, though the King and Queen are expected to visit Canada in May and the Prince and Princess of Wales are tipped to travel to Rome in the Spring.

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