EMBARGO: NOT FOR PUBLICATION OR BROADCAST BEFORE 12.01 A.M. MONDAY, 27 TH APRIL 1959.
FOR PRESS:
VISIT OF H.R.H. PRINCESS ALEXANDRA OF KENT
STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER
The Prime Minister, Mr. Menzies, today announced the outline programme 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.)
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. 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 would 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 Her Royal Highness will arrive R.A.A.F. Base, Canberra.
Evening - Free.
Saturday, August 15
Morning - Free.
Afternoon - Free.
Evening - Her Royal Highness will attend Governor-General's
Dinner.
Sunday, August 16
Morning - Her Royal Highness will attend Divine Service.
Afternoon - Free.
Evening - Free.
Monday, August 17
Morning - Her Royal Highness will visit Australian War
Memorial; and Assembly of School Children.
Afternoon - Her Royal Highness will attend Ball at Parliament House.
Tuesday, August 18
Morning - Her Royal Highness will fly to Brisbane.
SECOND VISIT
Wednesday, September 23
Afternoon - Her Royal Highness will arrive R.A.A.F. Base, Canberra, from Victoria.
Evening - Free.
Thursday, September 24
Morning - Her Royal Highness will tour Cooma and Snowy
Mountains area.
Afternoon - Her Royal Highness will tour Cooma and Snowy
Mountains area.
Evening - Free.
Friday, September 25
Morning - Free.
Afternoon - Her Royal Highness will return to Canberra
Evening - 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.