It’s been eight long years since the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s triumphant first tour as a young family to Australia, when the nation collectively fell head over heels with the future leaders.
It was Prince George’s debut on the global stage, where, as a toothy eight-month-old he melted hearts while he met Aussie wildlife and had even the sternest politicians cooing.
And now, Woman’s Day can exclusively reveal that, according to palace insiders, the Cambridges are in the late stages of planning a tour Down Under that will eclipse 2014’s 10-day extravaganza.
Prince William and Kate Middleton arrive in 2014 for their last tour of Australia.
(Image: Getty)“This time, they want to spend even more time in Australia and perhaps even factor in a private family holiday,” says a source.
“It goes without saying that Kate and Wills would never leave the children back in London and Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis will all be along for the ride.
“They’re currently thinking April or May, given the weather will be just about perfect in most of the country for lots of outdoor, COVID-safe meetings.”
This comes after the Cambridges had originally planned to visit Oz in 2020 in the wake of the devastating January bushfires, with William particularly keen to travel to rural areas and visit with heroic firefighters, bereaved family members and survivors.
“William and Catherine instructed their team to make it happen, and it was looking like they’d get the green light from the Queen to come over in April of that year, but of course the pandemic hit and everything was taken off the table in terms of travel.”
The kids can’t wait!
Despite the global upheaval since then, sources say the Cambridges “have never forgotten that plan and they intend to make good on it”.
An insider says, “They’ve already told the children, who are incredibly excited.
“While George was too young to remember much, the toy wombat he received on that trip [given to him by the then-Australian Governor-General, Sir Peter Cosgrove] still sits pride of place in his nursery at Kensington Palace and he loves hearing stories about Australian wildlife from his dad.
WATCH: William and Kate visit Uluru on their first trip to Australia. Story continues after video.
“Kate is keen to make the trip very child-focused, in terms of the charities and causes she meets within Australia, but also fun for her own kids.”
Woman’s Day understands that, with help of trusted aides and with help from the Attorney-General’s office, the couple have compiled a “dream list” of places to visit.
The list spans everything from environmental issues, frontline workers and fire resources to indigenous communities and showcasing Australia’s natural wonders in a bid to draw tourism back to the region after the industry was crippled by COVID-19 border closures.
One of the ideas being thrown around is a visit to Australia Zoo so the kids can meet the wildlife, thanks to William’s new pal Robert Irwin.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge meet a bilby with Prince George at Taronga Zoo..
(Image: Getty)“Robert and William have been in contact over environmental issues in recent months, and he invited Wills and his family to visit the zoo any time they like,” says a source.
“William was chuffed by the invitation and said he’d be only too glad to make that happen when they next make a trip over, which he hinted was very imminent.
“It’s hard to know who’s more excited by the prospect of a day at the zoo meeting the kangaroos, koalas and crocodiles – the Cambridge kids, or William, who was a big fan of the late Steve Irwin.”
But it won’t all be fun and frivolity for Wills, 39, and Kate, 40, who are considering leaving the children in the care of nannies at Sydney’s Admiralty House at times to crisscross the country.
WATCH: Robert Irwin sounds just like Steve in new video. Story continues after video.
Special trips
“Everything is on the table currently, and since they saw all the main things like the Sydney Opera House and Uluru last time, they’re keen to get off the beaten track,” says a source.
“Kate is particularly interested in visiting the Indigenous outback communities hit hard by COVID, and she’s also been very gripped by the Cleo Smith missing child case, and would love to meet the heroic officers in WA who rescued her.
“William, of course, is desperate to meet with the firefighters keeping Australia’s bushland safe, and they both want to personally thank nurses in the country’s COVID hotspots, especially in Sydney and Melbourne.
“This is a trip that could very well take them coast to coast, north to south and east to west.
Sources say Kate and William are eager to explore more remote parts of Australia.
(Image: Getty)“A royal tour of this magnitude has never been done before, even by Harry and Meghan who visited in 2018, but they’re game – they’ve been desperate to get back to Australia since 2014.”
But it won’t be all work and no play for the family of five, with insiders saying the couple are keen to give George, eight, Charlotte, six, and Louis, three, a proper holiday while they’re on the other side of the world.
“William has always felt a longing to experience the NSW South Coast, where his mother spent an important summer secretly soul-searching over whether or not she’d accept Prince Charles’ proposal,” says a source.
“He’d love to get a place near Mollymook for a few days and walk the same beaches she always told him about. If they could swing it security-wise, he’d like to take the kids camping.
“Kate is also looking into secluded settings and is putting the feelers out for some of Australia’s most exclusive resorts like the One&Only in Wolgan Valley, Saffire Freycinet in Tasmania and every celebrity’s favourite, Qualia at Hamilton Island.”
