A Look Back at Royal Tours of Australia, from Queen Elizabeth’s Historic Visits to Meghan Markle’s Pregnancy Announcement

Mar. 15, 2025

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex visit Bondi Beach on Oct. 19, 2018 in Sydney, Australia.Photo: Pool/Samir Hussein/WireImage

WhenQueen Elizabethvisited Australia for the first time in 1954, she was only two years into her history-making reign that would ultimately last 70 years until her death on Sept. 8, 2022. Queen Elizabeth, then Princess Elizabeth, had been en route to Australia as part of a larger royal tour on Feb. 6, 1952 when she found out, at just 25 years old, that her father King George VI died unexpectedly while Elizabeth and her husbandPrince Philipwere in Kenya.

When she finally did make it Down Under on Feb. 3, 1954, she became the first British monarch to step foot on Australian soil. When her son and heir,King Charles, visits Australia on Oct. 18 alongside his wifeQueen Camilla, he will be only the second British monarch to visit the Commonwealth realm — and the first British King.

When the Queen and the Duke of Edinburghvisited Australia for the first time, they stayed from Feb. 3 to April 1. According to Australia’s Centre of Democracy, it is estimated that close to75% of Australia’s populationsaw the Queen in person on her 1954 visit alone.

“Royal visits are a part of the history of national pride in Australia. This was especially the case for the 1954 tour,” according to the Centre. “For Australia, the visit was a chance to promote the post-war development of the country, while for the Crown, it was a chance to strengthen alliances throughout the Commonwealth countries.”

It would be nearly a decade before they returned,visiting againin 1963, 1970, 1973, 1974, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1992, 2000, 2002, 2006 and, for the final time, in 2011.

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip.Hulton Royals Collection

Hulton Royals Collection

Both Prince Charles andPrincess Dianahad been to Australia independently — the then-Lady Diana Spencer even made a private visit to the country in February 1981, less than one week after Prince Charles proposed. They married that summer (July 29, to be exact) and the then-Princess of Wales made history in 1983 when she insisted that their nine month old son,Prince William, accompany her and her husband on their tour of Australia beginning March 20, 1983. The visit, which made its way into season four of Netflix’sThe Crownand the subject of a documentary calledCharles and Diana: 1983, encompassed more than a month across Australia and New Zealand.

Anarticle from PEOPLEat the time said that “The couple’s travel agenda holds a number of unprecedented events for the princess, who is making her first official overseas visit.” Though there was originally trepidation about how Diana would fare while on tour, it turned out that her star eclipsed that of her husband.

Prince Charles and Princess Diana pose before the Australian Monolithic Rock during their tour of Australia.Bettmann / Contributor / Getty Images

Bettmann / Contributor / Getty Images

Princess Diana’seventual biographer Andrew Mortonsaid that the Australia tour “was a terrifying baptism of fire … Just 21, the newly minted royal was petrified of facing the crowds, meeting the countless dignitaries as well as the fabled royal ‘rat pack,’ the media circus who follow the royals around the globe.”

He later wrote forThe New York Postthat “the tour was utterly traumatic. Back in the privacy of her hotel room, she cried her eyes out, unable to handle the constant attention. … It didn’t help that Prince Charles, the former top of the billing, was reduced to a walk-on part, the crowds groaning when he came to their side of the road during their many visits. As Diana told me, ‘He was jealous. I understood the jealousy but I couldn’t explain that I didn’t ask for it.’ ”

In biographerSarah Bradford’s bookDiana, she quotes a bodyguard who said the Princess of Wales’ reception in Australia was comparable to Beatlemania.

Princess Diana traveling in a stagecoach in Ballarat, Australia on April 15, 1983.Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty

Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty

Diana’s persistence that William join her and Charles warmed the hearts of Australians,PEOPLE previously reported. “Bringing William is what made it really different. There was a huge amount made of Diana being a breath of fresh air and [so] modern. It was enormous,” said Jane Connors,author ofRoyal Visits to Australia.

Charles, Diana and William left Australia on April 17 and headed off to New Zealand, where they remained for two weeks before heading back to London on April 30.

Kate Middleton and Prince George on their royal tour of Australia and New Zealand in 2014 alongside Prince William, not pictured.

Prince William and Kate Middleton walk from the top of the stairs of Sydney’s iconic landmark Opera House on April 16, 2014.AFP/Getty

“He is obsessed with wombats at the moment,” Kate reportedlysaid while on tour. “He is really into them.”

George was also apparently into sweet potatoes at the time, but not long flights — he got grumpy! — or jet lag. George took three days to get over his jet lag, William said while visiting, revealing his son “was a bit jet-lagged and it was a bit hot for him.”

“Although George made only a handful of appearances with his parents,he stole the showwith every outing,” PEOPLE previously reported.

Kate Middleton, Prince George and Prince William on their royal tour of Australia and New Zealand in 2014.

Prince William and Kate Middleton on their royal tour of Australia and New Zealand in 2014.

WhenPrince HarryandMeghan Marklevisited Australia in October 2018 — the first stop on a 16-day, four-country tour that included visits to Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand — they brought with them an exciting announcement:Meghan was pregnantwith their first child! The same day they touched down in Sydney, palace officials made the announcement;Prince Archiewould be born on May 6, 2019, nearly seven months after their visit Down Under.

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex watch a performance during their visit to Macarthur Girls High School on Oct. 19, 2018 in Sydney, Australia.Phil Noble - Pool/Getty

“We’re both absolutely delighted to be here,” he continued. “Thank you for the incredibly warm welcome and the chance to meet so many Aussies from all walks of life.”

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle arrive at Kingfisher Bay during their visit to Fraser Island on Oct. 22, 2018.REX/Shutterstock

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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry in Australia in 2018.Getty Images

Getty Images

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex talk to members of OneWave, an awareness group for mental health and wellbeing at South Bondi Beach on Oct. 19, 2018 in Sydney, Australia.Chris Jackson - Pool/Getty

Chris Jackson - Pool/Getty

source: people.com