Charles' and Diana's First Royal Tour - Tapa dura

When Prince Charles promised the Australians and New Zealanders in 1981 that he would bring his future wife among them, the most optimistic could not have ^ anticipated that, even before Prince William* was born, plans were well advanced for one of the most comprehensive royal Australasian tours since 1953/4. From mid-March to the end of April 1983, the Prince and Princess of Wales visited all Australia's states and territories, and both islands of New Zealand, experiencing scenery as contrasting as the rugged environment of Alice Springs and the gentle rural setting around Christchurch, and weather varying between the blazing sunshine of Brisbane and the drenching rains of Auckland's North Shore. Royal favour customarily accorded to large cities was interspersed with delightfully informal whistle-stop visits to small rural communities, momentarily graced in their obscurity by the world's most popular royal couple.
The old dominions lost no time in taking their new Princess to their hearts. Every child, it seemed, had a chance to speak to her, give her flowers, touch or kiss her. For the thousands who did, the enviable memory of a lifetime began in those six weeks. For hundreds of thousands of others the sympathetic smile, spontaneous actions, elegant dress and sheer sparkle of her approach brought thrilling reality to a modern legend, and Prince William's presence lent cosy domesticity to dazzling public success.
"Come back soon!" was a frequent cry from the crowds wherever the Prince and Princess went. In five hundred pictures, vibrant with a full-colour record of the entire tour, this book shows why their return down-under can surely not be long delayed.