Royals set for global Jubilee tour

Published on 15/12/2011 00:00

The Royal Family will mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee by touring the globe, Buckingham Palace announced yesterday.

Senior royals will visit the Queen’s 15 realms – nations where she is head of state – major Commonwealth countries and other destinations with close links to the UK.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s trip to Malaysia, Singapore, the Solomon Islands and Tuvalu is likely to attract the most interest. Tuvalu has not had a major royal visit in decades. When the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh toured the tiny South Pacific islands in 1982, they were carried shoulder high by islanders into the capital Funafuti as they sat in canoes. The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall will travel to Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, while Prince Harry will tour Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas. It will be his first solo trip on behalf of the Queen.