Mayor to invite King Charles, Queen Camilla to visit the Coast

King Charles and Queen Camilla will be officially invited to visit the Gold Coast this week as plans for a royal tour ramp up.

The royals are expected to travel to Australia in October despite the King’s ongoing cancer battle, with local and state leaders already scrambling to secure a coveted visit.

NSW is tipped to extend an invite to attend The Everest race day at Royal Randwick, something the King has previously expressed an interest in, while Mayor Tom Tate (pictured) has been working on “an itinerary that is quintessential Gold Coast”.

“I will this week write to The Palace to formally invite King Charles and Queen Camilla to visit our city as part of their Australian tour,” he said.

“I know from speaking with Charles in 2018 he thoroughly enjoyed his time here during the (Commonwealth) Games.

“I accompanied Camilla to the water’s edge at Kurrawa and she remarked on the beauty of our city and our successful 2018 Games.

“If re-elected, I plan on continuing discussions with councillors to name a park in honour of The King.

“We have Philip Park in honour of his father, and Queen Elizabeth II park as well as the Jubilee Walkway.”

King Charles last visited the Gold Coast in 2018 when he was Prince of Wales and standing in for his mother, the late Queen.

It was his 16th trip to Australia and seventh to Queensland.

His Majesty opened the Commonwealth Games at Metricon Stadium on April 5, 2018 and then toured the city, meeting with Mr Tate, thenprime minister Malcolm Turnbull and placing the final piece of the Commonwealth Games walkway in.

The then-Prince walked Surfers Paradise beach, met with fans and even inspected a wheelie bin shown to him by Robina High students.

He had previously visited in the 1960s and 1970s when he was infamously shielded from meeting three bikini girls by then-mayor Sir Bruce Small, despite expressing his interest to then-NSW premier Neville Wran.

“You’re right about the healthiest-looking girls being in Australia,” he said at the time. I would have liked to have seen the bikini girls at Coolangatta.

“I’m told I lead a sheltered life, I see what people mean.”