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Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had a 90-minute tea with King Charles at Balmoral, the King’s retreat in the Scottish Highlands, over the weekend.
Afterwards, Albanese said that the invitation has been extended for Prince William and Kate Middleton to visit Australia.
While nothing has been confirmed yet, it could mark a milestone for 7-year-old Prince Louis, who has still not taken part in a royal tour, though his older siblings both have.
It has been over three-and-a-half years since Prince William and Kate Middleton’s last royal tour, when they visited Belize, Jamaica, and the Bahamas in March 2022 in support of Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee that year. For that trip, they didn’t bring any of their three kids with them, but their older two, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, both have accompanied their parents on royal tours; the baby of the family, Prince Louis, still hasn’t had his royal tour debut.
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Prince William, Prince George, Prince Louis, Princess Kate, and Princess Charlotte attend the Christmas morning service on December 25, 2024.
If we’re lucky, that might soon change. Though George went on his first royal tour when he was under a year old and Charlotte undertook her first royal tour when she was just 16 months old, Louis, now 7, has never gotten the opportunity.
The Prince and Princess of Wales have been invited to visit Australia in the coming months, following Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s recent meeting over the weekend with King Charles at Balmoral, his retreat in the Scottish Highlands. This wouldn’t be William and Kate’s first tour of Australia—they visited in 2014, with a baby George alongside them.
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Prince William, Kate Middleton, and Prince George in Canberra, Australia on April 25, 2014
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Prince William, Kate Middleton, and Prince George on April 20, 2014
“I’m certainly hoping there will be one,” Albanese told reporters of a royal tour with the Prince and Princess of Wales. “There’s a standing invitation that the royal family are always welcome in Australia.”
The King and Queen Camilla visited the country last October, and Albanese—who joined the King for a 90-minute tea at Balmoral—added that “It was wonderful to welcome King Charles and Queen Camilla to Australia recently, who had a very successful visit, and His Majesty is very engaged. And I hope that the Prince and Princess of Wales are able to visit as well, and we are hopeful that might occur in the coming period.”
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Queen Camilla and King Charles in Sydney, Australia on October 22, 2024
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Kate Middleton on March 17, 2025
Though Albanese’s remarks are exciting, there has been no official announcement of an upcoming tour from either Kensington Palace or Buckingham Palace—but it could be on the cards. Kate herself said during a royal engagement on St. Patrick’s Day that she hoped to take her kids abroad with her and William, saying, “George finds it fascinating that he has been to Australia and New Zealand.”
“I would like to go back there with them now,” she added. “It’s finding time to do that.” She added, “But I love travel—yes, it’s a long flight.”
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