The Royal Family has a long association with Australia and has forged close links with its people and institutions during many trips to the country over the past 140 years.

In 1954 the Queen became the first reigning sovereign to travel to the nation but other royals had also made the long journey to the southern hemisphere.

Prince Alfred, Queen Victoria’s second son and later Duke of Edinburgh, was the first to make the trip almost 100 years after Captain James Cook landed in eastern Australia and claimed it for Britain.

Alfred, a captain in the Royal Navy, visited Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, from 1867-68, as part of a world tour on HMS Galatea.

An assassination attempt was made on the royal while he was picnicking in Sydney but despite being shot he made a quick recovery.

During the 20th century many members of the monarchy travelled to the country that was fast developing a distinct national identity.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.