Members of the British royal family will visit Australia in 2024, New South Wales parliament has confirmed.
State governor Margaret Beazley today announced the program of events celebrating the 200th anniversary of the NSW Legislative Council.
Included in the events is a "much-anticipated" royal visit in 2024.
It appears to be the first official confirmation of rumours of an imminent Australian tour for the new monarch, King Charles III.
However, details of which members of the royal family will be included in the visit are yet to be released.
Queen Elizabeth II’s last visit to Australia was in October 2011.
In 1954, the late queen opened the NSW parliament, marking the beginning of the sitting session for that year.
She called the state institution Australia’s "mother parliament".
The NSW Legislative Council is the oldest body of its kind in Australia.
In the schedule for the bicentenary event, the "anticipated royal tour” is listed for October 2024.
This coincides with a Commemorative Opening of the NSW Parliament in the same month.
Ms Beazley said the 200th anniversary of the NSW legislative council would celebrate centuries of democracy in Australia.
“The establishment, in 1823, of the Legislative Council as the first legislative body in Australia was to have defining and profound impacts," she said.
"In celebrating the Bicentenary of the Legislative Council, we celebrate its role in our parliamentary democracy, as required by s5 of the NSW Constitution: ‘to make laws for the peace, welfare, and good government of New South Wales'.”
Other events in the bicentenary celebration schedule include Indigenous seminars and public speaking events, historical exhibitions and tours of parliament.
The first event will kick off this month with Unlocking the House, an exhibition on Macquarie Street displaying the history of NSW’s upper house.
