EMBARGO: NOT FOR PUBLICATION OR BROADCAST BEFORE 12.01 A. M. MONDAY,
27TH APRIL, 1959.
FOR PRESS: VISIT OF H. R. H. PRINCESS ALEXANDRA OF KENT
STATEMENT BY THE PRIME NINISTER
The Prime Minister, Mr. Menzies, today announced the
outline progrqmme of the visit to Australia during August and
September of this year of Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra
of Kent. ( FOR INFORMATION: This is a simultaneous announcement,
together with the Premiers of the three States Her Royal Highness
will visit. The Premiers will give details of the State programmes.) i
Mr. Menzies said Her Royal Highness would arrive at
Canberra in the afternoon of Friday August 14. She would leave for
Queensland on Tuesday, August 18. he would travel by air to New
South Wales on September 9. From New South Wales she would travel
to Victoria on September 16. On September 23 she would fly from
Melbourne to Canberra. On Thursday and Friday, September 24+/ 25,
she would visit Cooma and the Snowy Mountains area before leaving
Australia on September 26 to return by air to the United Kingdom.
Mr. Menzies said that so far as possible Commonwealth
and State Tour Organisers had tried to produce a programme which
wiould achieve three things:-
1. To entertain the young Princess while, at the same time,
showing her as much as possible of Australia and
Australian life.
2. To enable as many people as possible to see Her Royal
Highness during her visit.
3. To ensure that Her Royal Highness enjoyed her stay in
Australia, and that the programme at every opportunity
contained an " accent on youth".
Mr. Menzies said that three weeks of Her Royal Highness'
6-week visit would be spent in Queensland, which was celebrating
its centenary year. She would spend 12 days of her Queensland tour
in country areas. She would spend a long week-end on a Barrier
Reef Island. Her Royal Highness' visits to New South Wales and
Victoria would be comparatively brief and informal.
In New South Wales she would make two country visits.
In Victoria she would begin her visit with a train trip from
Wodonga to Melbourne. Her Royal Highness' visits to the Australian Capital
Territory would be at the beginning and end of her tour. ( AN
OUTLINE OF THE A. C. T. PROGRAMME IS ATTACHED.)
" I am sure that Her Royal Highness will see much to
interest her, and we hope that she will enjoy herself as much as
we will enjoy having her with us," Mr. Menzies said.
CANBERRA, A. C. T.
26th April, 1959
VISIT TO THE AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY
BY
HER ROYAL HIGHNESS PRINCESS ALEXANDRA OF KENT
FIRST VISIT
Friday, August 14+
Afternoon Evening Her Royal Highness will arrive R. A. A. F. Base,
Canberra.
Free.
Saturday, August
Morning Afternoon Evening Free. Free. Her Royal Highness will attend Governor-General's
Dinner.
Sunday, August 16
Morning Afternoon Evening Her Royal Highness will attend Divine Service,
Free. Free.
Monday, August 17
Morning Afternoon Her Royal Highness will visit Australian War
Memorial; and Assembly of School Children.
Her Royal Highness will attend Ball at Parliament
House.
Tuesday, August 18
MorningHer Royal Highness will fly to Brisbane.
SECOND VISIT
Wednesday September 23
Afternoon Evening Her Royal Highness will arrive R. A. A. F. Base,
Canberra, from Victoria.
Free.
Thursday. September 24+
Morning Afternoon Evening Her Royal Highness will tour Cooma and Snowy
Mountains area.
Her Royal Highness will tour Cooma and Snowy
Mountains area.
Free.
Friday, September
Morning Afternoon Evening Free. Her Royal Highness will return to Canberra.
Her Royal Highness will attend Dance at
Government House.
Saturday. September 26
Her Royal Highness will depart Canberra by air
for return to the United Kingdom.