King Charles will pause treatment for cancer during his high-profile ...

King Charles will reportedly pause his treatment for cancer during his tour of Australia and Samoa

King Charles will undertake a particularly significant royal visit next week – his first as monarch, in fact, to an overseas Commonwealth realm. From 18 October, the King and Queen will embark upon a tour of Australia that takes in Sydney and Canberra, immediately followed by a State Visit to Samoa in the South Pacific where Charles will attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

The ten-day trip will, according to the Palace, ‘focus on themes designed to celebrate the best of Australia and Samoa, as well as reflecting aspects of The King and Queen’s work’. Originally, this landmark royal tour was slated to last three weeks and take in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Samoa, but due to King Charles' recent bout of ill health, the schedule has been amended.

‘The King’s doctors have advised that a further extension to Their Majesties’ trip should be avoided at this time to prioritise His Majesty’s continued recovery,’ said a Palace spokesperson. ‘As with all His Majesty’s recent engagements, his programme in both countries will be subject to doctors’ advice, and any necessary modifications on health grounds.’

King Charles and Queen Camilla – pictured here during a visit to New Zealand in 2015 – will embark on their landmark tour next week

It would seem, however, that the King's health is getting better by the day – during one of her first official engagements of the season, Camilla revealed that her husband was ‘doing very well’ as she toured the new Dyson Cancer Centre in Bath. And although this upcoming tour has been curtailed, it is surely an optimistic sign that his doctors approve of such a long-haul journey in the first place.

Indeed, King Charles' medical team is so satisfied with his progress, that they are understood to be briefly stopping his treatment cycle while he is away. Charles, who was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer in February following prostate surgery, has been receiving weekly treatment ever since. It's said that the monarch will continue with his treatment right up until he flies next week, and resume as soon as he returns to the UK ten days later. No risks are being taken, however: the royal entourage will, as always, include a travelling doctor – which is standard practice for the head of state.

Buckingham Palace has declined to comment on this news, but most are interpreting it as hugely encouraging. The King and Queen are set for a packed schedule on their trip, with up to ten engagements a day between them, and only one ‘day off’ during their visit.

The trip will kick off on a somewhat awkward note: Charles and Camilla will be welcomed to Australia’s Parliament House by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, a republican who has called for the monarchy to be replaced in Australia. Albanese has, though, been effusive with his praise for Charles' mother, the late Queen Elizabeth, describing her as ‘a rare constant, an enduring, inspiring … presence of calm, decency and strength’ – so we should hope for cordial relations.

‘The royal visit is an opportunity to showcase the best of Australia – our rich culture, our sense of community, and contributions to science, research and global progress,’ Albanese said. ‘His Majesty first visited Australia in 1966, and has a strong personal affection for our nation. We are delighted that His Majesty is recovering well and has made visiting Australia once again a priority.’

Charles and Camilla pictured in Delhi during another royal tour of Egypt, Saudi Arabia and India in 2006

Joining the Prime Minister for an official reception, the royal couple will meet with politicians, community leaders and locals who are exemplary in the fields of culture and sport. The King will have an opportunity to discuss climate change, an issue close to his heart, with the team at the National Botanical Gardens, before meeting with scientists at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation to discuss how best to combat catastrophic wildfires.

Camilla, meanwhile, will take part in a panel on domestic violence before fulfilling her duties as patron of GIVIT, celebrating the charity’s role in organising donations for those who are most vulnerable. The Queen is an advocate of childhood literacy, and accordingly will meet children taking part in a Commonwealth reading challenge.

Charles will then meet Professor Georgina Long AO and Professor Richard Scolyer AO, both of whom have been named Australians of the Year for their life-changing research into melanoma. Since his own diagnosis earlier this year, the King has dedicated himself to combating the illness. In April, he was announced as patron for Cancer Research, and insiders say that he considers cancer a fifth ‘C’ in his list of core values, alongside ‘climate, community, culture and Commonwealth’.

The couple will also be invited to relax at a community barbecue in Sydney, which celebrates the country’s cultural diversity, before meeting with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representatives, to learn more about the vast array of communities that live in Australia.

In Samoa, Charles and Camilla have been encouraged to embrace an ‘island vibe’ in their dress, and will undertake several cultural engagements that highlight aspects of Samoan traditions. His Majesty will spend time with young people and community and faith leaders, as well as visit both a mangrove forest and a National Park, witnessing the work which is carried out by local communities to restore and protect both these vital ecosystems. He'll be invited to plant a tree in Samoa’s Botanical Garden – marking the opening of a new area within the site, which will be called ‘The King’s Garden’.

Charles, who has a tightly packed schedule during the tour, will resume his treatment as soon as he returns to the UK

Meanwhile, Camilla's engagements will again focus on the wider themes of her work. She will visit an aoga faifeau (traditional Samoan Pastor’s School) to see first-hand how pupils are taught to read and write, and also take a trip to the Samoa Victim Support Group, an organisation which assists survivors of domestic violence and sexual abuse, where she will learn more about the services the group provides to those in crisis.

It is, unquestionably, a tightly packed schedule for the royals – but it will no doubt be an excellent opportunity for the couple to cement their international relationships, and show the world that King Charles is firmly on the mend.