King and Queen to visit Caribbean in autumn tour

Want LBC stories before everyone else? Set us as your Preferred Source on Google

Charles, who is still being treated for cancer, will embark on the nine-day official trip from October 27 until November 4.

He will travel first to the Bahamas, where he is also head of state, without Camilla, and then on to Guyana for a state visit to mark 60 years of bilateral relations between the UK and the South American country.

Charles and Camilla’s trip to Antigua and Barbuda will coincide with the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2026, which is being hosted in the Caribbean nation from November 1 to 4.

Buckingham Palace said the tour would “celebrate communities, cultures and nature within the Commonwealth family”.

Read more: 'Fit for a prince': As Harry and Meghan return to the UK, discover the houses worthy of a royal seal of approval

Read more: Andrew 'scandals' to be subject of new film The Janitor

The King, as the Prince of Wales, visited Antigua and Barbuda in November 2017, following the widespread devastation caused by Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

It will be Camilla’s first official visit to Antigua and Barbuda.

Charles previously made official visits to Guyana in 2000 and the Bahamas in 1973.

He is making the state visit to Guyana at the invitation of the president and at the request of the UK Government.

News of the King and Queen’s overseas duties was announced shortly after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex returned to the UK to set up home.

Harry and Meghan reportedly landed at Birmingham Airport with their children just before midday on Wednesday, but Charles and Camilla are currently on their annual summer break at Balmoral.

A spokesman for the duke and duchess declined to comment on their travel movements, citing the importance of privacy and security.

“This is not something we would comment on,” the spokesman said.

Despite the lack of clarity surrounding the Sussexes’ return, the spokesman did however confirm that the couple’s brood of chickens would be staying in Montecito to be cared for there, but that they were bringing their dogs Mia and Pula with them.

Archie, seven, and five-year-old Lili have been enrolled in British schools, ready to start in September.

The family is said to be settling in the UK for an “extended period” of time, amid speculation as to how long they will stay and where they will live, with the Cotswolds being suggested as the most likely destination.

Some reports hinted that the family would only remain for the autumn, while others said Harry planned to live in the UK for the next 12 to 15 years to give his children a British education.

Harry and Meghan, who are remaining as non-working royals, quit the monarchy six years ago amid the Megxit crisis, relocating to the US from where they criticised members of the royal family and the institution.