Prince Alfred's 1867 tour of Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Brisbane marked the first royal visit to Australia. The most recent was earlier this year when Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall visited Brisbane, Bundaberg, Cairns and Darwin. Since the first royal visit to Australia, there have been over fifty more. And the next is just moments away.
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On October 16, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex aka Harry and Meghan, will embark on a 10-day Australian tour, with the focus being the Invictus Games in Sydney. They're also set to visit Dubbo and Fraser Island.
And yes, the capital of their convict colony has been left off the list. But how many times has Canberra actually been on the royal agenda?
Of her 16 royal visits to Australia, the Queen has visited Canberra nine times.
Some of the highlights of her Canberra visits include opening Australian Parliament in 1954 while wearing her coronation gown and meeting Canberrans at Regatta Point during her second tour in 1963.
Prince Charles has toured Australia 16 times, visiting Canberra four times. His first visit to the capital was in 1983 with Princess Diana and his most recent was in 2015 when he visited the Remembrance Day ceremony at the Australian War Memorial.
William first visited Canberra in 2014. He has visited Australia three times.
Prince Harry has visited Canberra once.
The royal family's track record has proven that the queen has been more likely to make a stop in Canberra than her son or grandsons. Is the tradition of visiting Canberra to plant trees and open parliament houses dying out?
Canberra might have been overlooked this time for one simple reason: we don't need their help.
An official statement from Kensington Palace reads: "Their Royal Highnesses' programme will focus on youth leadership, and projects being undertaken by young people to address the social, economic, and environmental challenges of the region."
While the capital certainly has social, economic and environmental issues worth addressing, we're not exactly an example of a region with enough challenges for the modern royals to tackle.
The couples' trip isn't all serious business. The duo will pat koalas at Taronga Zoo and Harry will climb the Harbour Bridge with ScoMo. So what can Canberra offer in the realm of quintessentially Aussie tourism opportunities?
Summiting Mount Ainslie and getting to the observation deck of Telstra Tower are lovely for a sunny Sunday but they don't beat a bridge climb.
For next time, what would be an enticing Canberra itinerary if the royals had decided to visit? Points will be deducted for any suggestions involving Floriade or Questacon.
