Prince Charles in New Zealand

Charles, the of Wales, eldest son of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, was born at Buckingham Palace at 9.14pm on 14th November 1948.  The news of the birth was sent by King George VI's private secretary at Buckingham Palace in an encoded message via telegram to the New Zealand Governor General, Lord Bernard Freyberg. The message was then decoded by staff of the Governor General, and released to the NZ Press Association for publication in the nation's newspapers. The original decoded telegram is now held in Archives NZ. The Prince's mother was crowned Queen Elizabeth II on 2 June 1953 when Charles was four. His first visit to New Zealand was brief. In August 1966 he spent just 60 minutes at Auckland airport on his way from Australia to the Empire Games in Jamaica - the shortest ever Royal visit to this country. Nevertheless the Evening Post reported that "4000 people gave him an enthusiastic 'tour'."

1970

Prince Charles made his first visit to New Zealand in March 1970 with his parents, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, and his sister Princess Anne. The Queen, Prince Philip & Princess Anne arrived in Wellington on the Royal Yacht Britannica on 12 March. Prince Charles flew in from Sydney in the early evening, The following day the Queen formally opened the 36th New Zealand Parliament. She was accompanied by her family. Newspapers reported that "at Parliament the Queen wore a tiara and long white gown, Prince Philip was in the full uniform of Admiral of the Fleet, Prince Charles in the uniform of Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Welsh Regiment, and Princess Anne wore a deep yellow linen evening gown and a diamond tiara."  That evening, while their parents attended official engagements in Wellington, Prince Charles & Princess Anne flew to Timaru to spend the week-end as guests of Sir John Acland and Lady Acland. "A crowd of about 3000 gave the Royal visitors a rousing reception. Princess Anne wore a white trouser suit and headscarf, and the Prince of Wales wore a dark lounge suit. Their Royal Highnesses received a special welcome from hundreds of children." (The Press, 14 March 1979). The Royal Family then spent several days in Christchurch & Timaru before  travelling to the West Coast, then Dunedin where they visited Otago University.  The Royal tour also included Queenstown, Invercargill, Tauranga, Taupo, Rotorua, Gisborne, Napier, and Auckland.

1974

Prince Charles second visit to Aotearoa New Zealand, 29 January to 6 February 1974, was again with his parents and sister. The Prince attended the Commonwealth Games in Christchurch and New Zealand Day celebrations at Waitangi on 6 February 1974.  On  4 September 1974 the Prince of Wales returned to New Zealand to attend the funeral of Prime Minister, Norman Kirk. 

1981

On a two-week tour, 31 March to 12 April 1981, Prince Charles opened the Royal New Zealand Police College and received an honorary degree from the University of Otago.

1983

On 29th July 1981, The Prince of Wales married Lady Diana Spencer in St Paul's Cathedral. On her marriage Diana became HRH The Princess of Wales. From 17 to 30 April 1983 The Prince and Princess of Wales toured New Zealand with their first son, Prince William (born 21 June 1982).  The Prince & Princess of Wales' second son, Prince Harry, was born on 15 September 1984.  On 9th December 1992, The Prime Minister, John Major, announced to the House of Commons that The Prince and Princess of Wales had agreed to separate, and their marriage was dissolved on 28th August, 1996. Princess Diana died in a car accident in Paris on 31 August 1997. 

1994 & 2005

The Prince of Wales returned to New Zealand from 5-10 February 1994. This tour included visits to Tūrangawaewae Marae and the West Coast. His first visit in the 21st century was to Otago, Wellington and Auckland. This was a short tour from 5 to 10 March 2005.

2012

On 9 April 2005, The Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker Bowles were married in a civil ceremony at the Guildhall, Windsor. After the wedding, Mrs Parker Bowles became known as HRH The Duchess of Cornwall. The couple toured New Zealand 10 to 16 November 2012, to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee. They visited Auckland, Wellington, Manawatū and Christchurch.

 2015 & 2019

The Duchess of Cornwall joined the Prince of Wales on a visit to Wellington, Nelson, New Plymouth, Dunedin, Westport, Ngāruawahia and Auckland, 4 to 9 November 2015. On their third joint visit to New Zealand, 17 to 23 November 2019, the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall visited Auckland, Waitangi, Christchurch and Kaikōura.

Sources

The website of the Governor General of Aotearoa New Zealand https://gg.govt.nz/office-governor-general/death-her-majesty-queen/our-new-king/kings-visits-new-zealand 

The website of HRH The Prince of Wales https://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/biographies/hrh-prince-wales