18 September 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Excitement Builds Ahead of Diamond Jubilee Royal Tour

Monarchy New Zealand is pleased that the Government has today released more details on the upcoming royal tour of the heir to the throne of New Zealand, Prince Charles, and his wife, Camilla.

The tour will commence on November 10, after Their Royal Highnesses finish a whirlwind visit to Australia and Papua New Guinea, and end on 16 November.

Prime Minister John Key said “Prince Charles will be representing the Queen of New Zealand on the visit, which celebrates Her Majesty’s remarkable 60 years of service.” The programme for Prince Charles and Camilla will include a focus on New Zealand excellence and innovation in sport, agriculture, and business.

As this will be Camilla’s first tour of New Zealand, the royal couple will also be spending private time together and experiencing some of New Zealand’s popular tourist destinations. Dr Sean Palmer, Chair of Monarchy New Zealand, said that this tour will be of great benefit to New Zealand. “As with all royal tours, the world’s media will be watching. This is a great opportunity to raise New Zealand’s profile on the world stage and boost our national industries, particularly the tourism industry.”

Monarchy New Zealand Christchurch Co-ordinator, Alex Summerlee, says he is looking forward to the Southern leg of the tour. “Following Prince William’s morale-boosting tour last year, it’s great to see that Prince Charles will be coming to Christchurch. We appreciated the respects paid by William, who visited the suburb Sumner and attended the National Commemoration Service last year, so this will be a fantastic opportunity for the next King of New Zealand to see how much progress has been made in Christchurch since September 2010 and February 2011”. There will be a focus on the recovery strategy for greater Christchurch, including the creative temporary use of vacant spaces, and on the future plans for the city.

Prince Charles will be celebrating his 64th birthday in New Zealand on 14 November, which is, coincidentally, also the birthday of Governor-General Sir Jerry Mateparae. Monarchy New Zealand hopes that there will be an opportunity for all New Zealanders to participate in some birthday celebrations and to wish the Prince and Governor-General all the best for the day.

ENDS

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