Fantastic photos: Australia through the eyes of royal visitors

Queen Elizabeth in Australia, 1977
Queen Elizabeth in Australia, 2006
Diana, Charles and William
William, Kate and George
Kate and William's visit in 2014
Meghan and Harry's visit in 2018
Meghan and Harry in Australia
King Willem Alexander and Queen Maxima
Crown Princess Mary of Denmark
Christian and Isabella of Denmark
Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden
Naruhito and Masako petting a wallaby
The Prince of Wales
Camilla Parker Bowles in Australia
Elizabeth's first visit in 1954
Elizabeth's first visit in 1954
Princess Diana in Australia, 1985
The Hug
Taking the plane in Australia
Katoomba
William and Catherine in Australia
Prince Charles and Camilla in Australia
Byron Bay, New South Wales
Harry and Meghan on Fraser Island
The Butchulla people of Fraser Island
The Twelve Apostles
Camilla and Charles on the beach in Australia
Prince Frederik and Princess Mary in Canberra
Prince Christian of Denmark
Prince Harry in Sydney 2003
Prince Harry as a jackaroo
Victoria of Sweden with a wombat
Catherine Middleton in Uluru
Prince George in Taronga Zoo, 2014
Charles and the sheep
Farmland in Australia
Harry and Meghan in Dubbo
William and Catherine at the Royal Easter Show
Charles and Camilla at the vineyard
The Royal Easter Show
Charles with an Akubra hat
William with an Akubra hat
Prince Charles with the Yolngu
Charles in Nhulunbuy, Northern Territory
Queen Elizabeth with the Ngemba Muranari
The Devil's Marbles
Maxima and Willem Alexander at the Uluru
Queen Silvia of Sweden
Uluru / Ayers Rock
Catherine at Uluru
Iconic photos of Uluru
Aboriginal Print Portfolio
Dutch explorers in Fremantle
Mary of Denmark doing research
Victoria of Sweden in Melbourne
Mary of Denmark and her own portrait
Queen Elizabeth in the Sovereign Hill complex
Dutch royals at the races
Ascot Racecourse in Perth
Sydney
Prince William in Sydney
Frederik and Mary at the Opera House
Mary and Frederik at the Opera House
Victoria at 'Her Majesty's Theatre' in Melbourne
The Parliament in Canberra
Queen Elizabeth in Canberra
Catherine and William in Katoomba
William entertaining the children
Red Heads Rule
Roll of Honour
Maxima and Willem Alexander at the War Memorial
Poppies in the Roll of Honour
Anzac Day 2014
King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway
Prince Philippe of Belgium
Prince Philippe of Belgium at the Australian War Memorial
Which royal is coming to Australia?
Queen Elizabeth in Australia, 1977

Australia has been one of the favourite travel destinations for royal families. The late Queen Elizabeth visited the country 16 times.

Queen Elizabeth in Australia, 2006

The last visit of the Queen was in 2011. Here we see her meeting the crowds in Sydney in 2006

Diana, Charles and William

Other royal visitors have included, of course, the prince and princess of Wales.

William, Kate and George

When they were still the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate Middleton also visited Australia.

Kate and William's visit in 2014

Their most recent visit was in 2014. It included stops in Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra, Uluru, and Adelaide.

Meghan and Harry's visit in 2018

His brother, Prince Harry, is also very fond of Australia. With his wife, Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, he toured the country in 2018.

Meghan and Harry in Australia

Every trip to the Great Southern Land is different. The royals visit museums, sports events, natural landmarks, or special events like this surf gathering on the beach to raise awareness about mental health.

King Willem Alexander and Queen Maxima

And every royal delegation is different. Here's King Willem Alexander and Queen Maxima of The Netherlands saying 'cheese' in front of the Sydney Opera House.

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark

The Danish Crown Prince Frederik and his wife, the Australian-born Princess Mary, often come to visit. They bring their twins Princess Josephine and Prince Vincent...

Christian and Isabella of Denmark

... or the older siblings, Christian and Isabella.

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden

Crown Princess Victoria, of Denmark's neighbour Sweden, also tours Australia.

Naruhito and Masako petting a wallaby

The Japanese Emperor Naruhito and his wife Masako came to Australia in 2002 when they were still Crown Prince and Princess.

The Prince of Wales

Charles, now the King but previously traveling as the Prince of Wales, socializes with the Australian public, for example during a visit to Canberra in 2012.

Camilla Parker Bowles in Australia

Charles brought with him the then-Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla.

Elizabeth's first visit in 1954

In 1954, Elizabeth II was the first reigning monarch of Australia to visit the continent. She visited all capitals except Darwin, traversing 10,000 miles by air and 2,000 by car. The young Queen made her own film during the visit.

Elizabeth's first visit in 1954

In Cairns, Queensland, a guard of honour consisting of Torres Strait Islanders received her.

Princess Diana in Australia, 1985

Among the many royal visitors was of course also Diana, Princess of Wales. She was known to engage with the public on any occasion.

The Hug

Her son Harry inherited that quality from his beloved mother. Scenes like this one in Dubbo, New South Wales, attest to that.

Taking the plane in Australia

To meet all these interesting Australians, royal visitors fly many miles across the country.

Katoomba

They visit places like this lookout, the Narrow Neck in the Blue Mountains Town of Katoomba, west of Sydney.

William and Catherine in Australia

In 2014, Prince William and Kate Middleton visited Echo Point in Katoomba.

Prince Charles and Camilla in Australia

A year later, William's father Prince Charles posed for photographs at the Mt Adelaide lookout in Albany.

Byron Bay, New South Wales

Australia's coastline is known across the world for its beauty and, in some places, its excellent surf.

Harry and Meghan on Fraser Island

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle visited Fraser Island during their 2018 tour of Australia. It is one of the most beautiful islands in the world.

The Butchulla people of Fraser Island

On Fraser Island, Prince Harry met the Butchulla people. They are the traditional owners of the island, which they call K'gari.

The Twelve Apostles

The wonders of the Australian coastline include the Twelve Apostles rock formations in the state of Victoria.

Camilla and Charles on the beach in Australia

Camilla Parker Bowles enjoyed a barefoot walk on the beach. This one lies near the City of Gold Coast, in Queensland.

Prince Frederik and Princess Mary in Canberra

An encounter with Australian wildlife is often part of the royals' visits to the Great Southern Land. Princess Mary and Prince Frederik of Denmark went to the government house park 'Yarralumla' in Canberra.

Prince Christian of Denmark

Their son, Prince Christian, was introduced to the lizards of Bonorong Park during the family's private Australian trip in 2006.

Prince Harry in Sydney 2003

A young Prince Harry did the same in 2003 when he visited Sydney at the beginning of a three-month stay in Australia.

 

Prince Harry as a jackaroo

The 19-year-old prince came to work at a cattle ranch in the Outback as an Australian cowboy - a jackaroo.

Victoria of Sweden with a wombat

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden cuddled a wombat during her visit to Sanctuary Healesville Wildpark in 2005.

Catherine Middleton in Uluru

Kate Middleton thought a carved wooden snake was real enough, as she visited a cultural centre in Uluru.

Prince George in Taronga Zoo, 2014

For William and Kate's son, Prince George, there was a stuffed bilby in Taronga Zoo, Sydney.

Charles and the sheep

Cattle and sheep farming are an important part of Australia's landscape and economy. Then-prince Charles got a close look at this branch during a visit to the Leenavale Sheep Stud in Sorell, Tasmania.

Farmland in Australia

47.63 percent of Australian land is farmland, the World Bank reported in 2015. Cattle are most important: after Brazil, Australia is the second-largest beef exporter in the world. But sheep are important, too: the government reports that it accounts for 7 percent of Australian agricultural production.

Harry and Meghan in Dubbo

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were put to work at the Mountain View Farm in Dubbo, New South Wales.

William and Catherine at the Royal Easter Show

William and Catherine had a look at the 2014 Royal Easter Show in Sydney.

Charles and Camilla at the vineyard

Australian wines are renowned across the globe. The country has 3,230 wine farms and produced 1.6 million tonnes of grapes in 2015-2016, as reported by the government. Prince Charles and Camilla went to inspect wine barrels in Seppeltsfield Winery in the Barossa Valley in 2015.

The Royal Easter Show

Given the importance of agriculture in Australia, it is not surprising that the agricultural Easter Show in Sydney is a popular, long-standing tradition. The first Easter Show was held in 1823.

Charles with an Akubra hat

King Charles has sported the characteristic Australian headpiece: the Akubra hat.

William with an Akubra hat

While William has worn an Akubra hat just like his father and other royal visitors, the army gave him a slightly different model.

Prince Charles with the Yolngu

But here we have a somewhat different headpiece... It's Prince Charles wearing the traditional gear of the Yolngu people in the remote region of North-East Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory.

Charles in Nhulunbuy, Northern Territory

Prince Charles participated in a traditional ceremony at Mt Nhulun, an important sacred site for the Yolngu people. ABC reported that this ceremony had not been performed since the 1960s and that the prince was "the first non-Indigenous person to be acknowledged as part of it."

Queen Elizabeth with the Ngemba Muranari

In 2000, Queen Elizabeth visited the Muda Aboriginal Language and Cultural Centre in Bourke, where the Ngemba Muranari danced for her.

The Devil's Marbles

The Outback is often part of a royal grand tour of Australia.

Maxima and Willem Alexander at the Uluru

In 2006, then-prince Willem Alexander and princess Maxima of The Netherlands visited the Uluru - also known as 'Ayers Rock.'

Queen Silvia of Sweden

The Swedish Queen Silvia also went to see the famous orange rock formations of Australia's Northern Territory. She talked with aboriginal elder Reggie Uluru at Walpa Gauge, Katu Tjuta, about 300 kilometers from Alice Springs.

Uluru / Ayers Rock

Uluru, or Ayers Rock, is a sacred site for the Pitjantjatjara Anangu, the Aboriginal people of the region. The sandstone formation changes colours at different times of the day and year.

Catherine at Uluru

Kate Middleton met with the local Aboriginal people when she and Prince William visited Uluru in 2014.

Iconic photos of Uluru

The famous illumination of the rock at sunset made for beautiful photographs of Prince William and Kate Middleton's visit.

Aboriginal Print Portfolio

When Maxima of The Netherlands visited the Art Gallery of New South Wales in 2006, she paid special attention to The Aboriginal Print Portfolio, which commemorated 400 years of Dutch-Australian relations.

Dutch explorers in Fremantle

In 2016, King Willem Alexander and Queen Maxima toured the WA Museum Shipwreck Galleries in Fremantle. The museum is devoted to Dutch exploratory travel.

Mary of Denmark doing research

Princess Mary of Denmark was also invited to check out Australian inventions. In 2008, she visited the Victor Chang Research Centre in Sydney.

Victoria of Sweden in Melbourne

The Ian Potter Museum of Art at the University of Melbourn contains Aboriginal works of art. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden went to see them in 2005.

Mary of Denmark and her own portrait

Princess Mary of Denmark, formerly known as the 'commoner' Mary Donaldson from Hobart, Australia, went to see a painting of herself at the Portrait Gallery in Canberra.

Queen Elizabeth in the Sovereign Hill complex

The late Queen Elizabeth visited the Sovereign Hill complex in Ballarat. It is a replica of a 19th-century mining community where visitors can even pan for gold.

Dutch royals at the races

The Melbourne Cup in Perth had some remarkable visitors in 2016. Queen Maxima and King Willem Alexander of the Netherlands went to see the horse race on the Ascot Racecourse.

Ascot Racecourse in Perth

The course is considered a 'grand old lady' among the Australian racecourses.

Sydney

A royal tour of Australia inevitably passes through Sydney, with its iconic Opera House.

Prince William in Sydney

Prince William in front of the famous building in 2010.

Frederik and Mary at the Opera House

Prince Frederik and Princess Mary of Denmark visited the Sydney Opera House during their state visit in 2005.

Mary and Frederik at the Opera House

The Danish community in Australia held a reception for Princess Mary and Frederik at the Opera House.

Victoria at 'Her Majesty's Theatre' in Melbourne

Melbourne has its legendary theatre as well. Princess Victoria of Sweden went to see the musical 'Mamma Mia' there. It was a celebration of both Swedish (Abba) and Australian culture.

The Parliament in Canberra

Official visits include photo-ops like this one, of Prince Frederik and Princess Mary on the roof of the parliament in Canberra.

Queen Elizabeth in Canberra

Formal travel is always accompanied by guards of honor. Here, the late Queen Elizabeth was escorted to view such a ceremony at Fairbairn airforce base in Canberra.

Catherine and William in Katoomba

Less formal are the royals' meetings with the public. William and Kate met with schoolchildren in Echo Point, Katoomba, in 2014.

William entertaining the children

Prince William was not yet a father in this photo (2010), but he knew instinctively how to entertain the children in Sydney's Redfern Community Centre.

Red Heads Rule

Prince Harry had fun with the kids of Canberra, who believe that redheads are the best people.

Roll of Honour

The year is 2015, and besides laughing with the kids, Prince Harry also tends to a more serious matter: He places a poppy at the Roll of Honour in the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.

Maxima and Willem Alexander at the War Memorial

King Willem Alexander and Queen Maxima of The Netherlands did not skip the War Memorial either. This is them outside the Roll of Honour in 2016.

Poppies in the Roll of Honour

This national memorial to the members of the armed forces who fought in wars defending the Commonwealth of Australia was founded in 1941. Placing a poppy flower in the Roll of Honour's panel is a way to pay tribute to a particular soldier whose name is inscribed on the wall.

Anzac Day 2014

The wall of remembrance is devoted to the veterans of the World Wars. The poppy flower is associated with Armistice Day, the end of World War I in November 1918. Prince William and Kate Middleton went to place poppy flowers into the wall on Anzac Day, the national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand, on April 25.

King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway

The King of Norway, Harald V, also visited the Australian War Memorial with his wife, Queen Sonja. Few images of the Norwegian royals' 2015 visit to Australia have been published, but this event was important enough to show to the world.

Prince Philippe of Belgium

Prince Philippe of Belgium paid tribute to the fallen soldiers, inscribed in the Roll of Honour wall, in 2012.

Prince Philippe of Belgium at the Australian War Memorial

Belgium was the terrain of the Great War. Many of its citizens fled to The Netherlands. To European royalty, the war memorial is of special relevance.

Which royal is coming to Australia?

Who's next in line to visit Australia? There are still many places to explore Down Under.

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