A young royal's first appearance on a official foreign tour is an important milestone that makes headline news all over the world. This first step into royal life often takes place at a very early age, with everyone from Prince William to Prince George and Princess Charlotte embarking on their first royal tour as toddlers - but Prince Louis is still yet to do so.
Even his younger cousin, Archie, joined Prince Harry and Meghan on their South African tour shortly before they stepped down as senior royals. The coronavirus pandemic put a halt to many royal duties, with restrictions making it almost impossible for foreign tours to take place. As a result, Prince Louis has not yet had the chance to make his first official trip overseas, the Mirror reports.
Despite being well past the age most royal children would typically join their parents abroad, four-year-old Prince Louis has been unable to follow the tradition set by the young royals before him. His big brother Prince George was just 10 months old when he joined the Prince and Princess of Wales on their trip to New Zealand and Australia in 2014.
After Princess Charlotte was born in 2015, she and George travelled with their parents to Canada in 2016, before jetting off to Poland and Germany following year. Prince William’s first official tour was to Australia in 1983 at only ten months old.
Prince Harry was even younger when he went on his first tour, joining his parents and brother on a short trip to Venice, Italy.
William and Kate are scheduled to travel to North America at the end of this year for the second annual Earthshot Prize Award ceremony in Boston, Massachusetts. While the date has yet to be announced, some experts believe that Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis will be joining their parents if the event doesn't clash with school.
During his closing speech at the inaugural awards ceremony last year, Prince William said: "London and the UK has put on quite a show for our first year. So for the second year, we need to pass the baton to a country whose leadership is essential for all five of our Earthshots.
“Where better than the nation that inspired the Moonshot all those years ago? I’m delighted to announce that the Earthshot Prize will be heading to the United States of America in 2022."
As for future royal tours, a royal source told The Mirror : “The King and his family are keen to hit the ground running in these crucial first few months and years of his reign. He certainly wants to carry on the long-held mantra from his late mother of being seen to be believed, and is very keen to get out and meet as many people as possible.”
The King is understood to have already discussed visits to major British realms including Australia and Canada with his chief advisors, and is keen to start making trips “as soon as possible”. During his time as Prince of Wales, Charles visited 45 of 56 Commonwealth countries, many of them more than once.
Royal sources have revealed The King is “acutely aware” that his accession to the throne comes at a time of particular unrest across a number of realms, especially in the Caribbean, as they assess whether or they wish to become republics.
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