Government House Media Advisory - 17 July 2026
The Governor-General and Mr. Beckett will visit Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Latvia from 18 July to 01 August 2026, strengthening Australia’s bilateral partnerships and representing all Australians as Patron-in-Chief of Commonwealth Games Australia at Glasgow 2026.
In Ottawa, they will be welcomed by Her Excellency Louise Arbour, Governor-General of Canada, for their first in-person meeting. They will also visit the National Military Cemetery, where two Royal Australian Air Force personnel who served in the Second World War are buried and participate in a dialogue with senior Indigenous representatives and business figures.
In the United Kingdom, Their Excellencies will attend the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow to support the 257-member Australian team as they compete in track, field, swimming, and Para events. As Commander-in-Chief, the Governor-General will meet with London Legacy at Australia House and visit Cambridge City Cemetery where 273 Australian servicemen including 21 Second World War servicemen are buried. They will also join Australia’s High Commission to highlight the importance of women in leadership to fostering civic engagement and to celebrate long-standing creative ties across the arts sector.
The Governor-General and Mr Beckett will be welcomed to Dublin for a State Visit by the President of Ireland Her Excellency Catherine Connolly, marking 80 years of formal diplomatic cooperation and generations of family ties between Australia and Ireland. During their visit, the Governor-General will meet with Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD, visit Grangegorman Military Cemetery to honour the memory of the ten ANZAC service personnel buried there, and attend the GAA All-Ireland Men’s Senior Championship Final.
The Governor-General and Mr Beckett will be welcomed to Riga for an Official Visit by the President of the Republic of Latvia His Excellency Edgars Rinkēvičs marking the first visit by an Australian Governor-General to Latvia. Their Excellencies will also meet with Speaker of the Saeima Daiga Mieriņa and Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs. The visit will celebrate 35 years of restored diplomatic relations and growing economic, security and research cooperation. They will also visit the Freedom Monument and recognise the strong people-to-people links between Australia and Latvia.
Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC, Governor of New South Wales will serve as Administrator of the Government of the Commonwealth of Australia during this time.
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