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By CNN's Royal Correspondent Max Foster and Lauren Said-Moorhouse in London

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As the summer season draws to a close, the royal diaries are ramping back up and Windsor-watchers have been treated to a flurry of news in recent days. Let's start with King Charles and Queen Camilla's highly anticipated trip to Australia and Samoa, which, it has now been confirmed, will take place between October 18 and 26. 
 
Charles has visited more than 40 Commonwealth countries over the past 50 years but this trip down under will be the first of his reign to a Commonwealth realm. Australia is one of 14 nations, in addition to the United Kingdom, where he is head of state. 
 
Meanwhile, his trip to Samoa coincides with this year's Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in the Samoan capital, Apia, which will be his first as head of the organization. 
 
The couple's itinerary has been designed to reflect the themes of their own work while celebrating the two nations. 
 
In Australia, Charles and Camilla will be welcomed by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at Canberra's Parliament House. They'll stop by the Australian War Memorial and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander memorial to pay their respects. 
 
Charles is also set to visit CSIRO, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, meet firefighters and learn about the center's work to battle the bush fires that wreak havoc on huge swathes of Australian land every year. He and Camilla will also go to the National Botanic Gardens, which is home to the largest living collection of Australian native plants, and find out more about the impact of climate change on biodiversity. 
 
It wouldn't be a trip to Australia without swinging by a community barbecue, which the pair will do in Western Sydney. There, they'll get to sample delights from the New South Wales region as well as connect with local residents. 
 
Another engagement designed to reflect the King, who has been continuing his treatment for an unspecified cancer, will see him meet professors Georgina Long and Richard Scolyer. Charles will get to learn about their work helping people affected by melanoma, one of Australia's most common cancers. Both were named Australians of the Year this year, and Scolyer is himself being treated for brain cancer.
 
When they get to Samoa, the royal couple will be formally welcomed with a traditional Ava Fa'atupu ceremony, before an engagement aimed at spotlighting Samoan traditions and culture. The King is also expected to meet young people as well as community and faith leaders. 
 
This year's CHOGM gathering centers around "a resilient environment," specifically oceans, and Charles' engagements in the country will reflect the issues of sustainability and biodiversity. He will visit a mangrove forest and a national park to learn more about these vital ecosystems and learn how the local community is working to restore and protect them. Meanwhile, the Queen's engagements will focus on efforts to promote literacy when she visits an aoga faifeau (a traditional Samoan pastor's school) and heads to the Samoa Victim Support Group, an organization that supports survivors of domestic violence and sexual abuse.  
 
It is, as usual, a packed schedule and a lot for the monarch to do in a week at a time when he's still being treated for cancer. A trip to the region had long been expected, but many were surprised that New Zealand was not on the program when it was announced. 
 
A palace spokesperson previously explained the omission as a decision made in consultation with the King's medical team. That is what's different about the forthcoming trip. While the King is keen to get out and about, meeting as many people as he can, he's only able to do things approved by his doctors, and his international travel is severely restricted. 
 
The call to limit the visit to Australia and Samoa would have been a tough one for him to stomach but he will have deferred to guidance from his medical staff, who have his best interests at heart.

Prince Harry 'excited' over turning 40.  

It's a big weekend for the Duke of Sussex, who turns 40 this Sunday. In a statement to the BBC, Harry said he was "excited" about the milestone, in contrast to turning 30 when he felt "anxious." He continued, "Whatever the age, my mission is to continue showing up and doing good in the world." 
 
Harry, who released the statement to the broadcaster through his spokesperson, is expected to spend his birthday with his wife, Meghan, and two children, Archie and Lilibet, in California, before going away with a few friends. The duke also touched upon how fatherhood has changed him, saying: "Being a dad is one of life's greatest joys and has only made me more driven and more committed to making this world a better place." He ended the statement on an optimistic note, saying, "Bring on the next decade." 
 
The celebrations will have to be short and sweet, however, as Harry is expected in New York for Climate Week, which kicks off on September 22. A spokesperson for the duke said he will be in town for events related to several of his patronages and philanthropic initiatives. He is expected to participate in engagements with African Parks, The HALO Trust, The Diana Award and Travalyst. While there, he will also be working on some Archewell Foundation projects. 

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Watch: Charles' surprise at heartwarming hug from rugby team

There's often a lot of chatter about the "correct" protocol in how to greet royal family members. That was certainly the dilemma facing the New Zealand women's rugby union team, the Black Ferns, upon arriving at a Buckingham Palace reception on Wednesday. The ladies mused over whether they "have to bow or curtsy," before an aide demonstrated the two options, with one player quipping, "Oh my, why didn't we get this before?" Before they had a chance to fret too much, the King arrived and things ended up taking a hilarious turn. Have a watch:   

Antrim Castle Gardens

A newly unveiled sculpture of Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip and two corgis in Northern Ireland, intended to pay tribute to the late monarch, appears to be splitting opinion online. 
 
While the local council told CNN that the bronze statue "has been warmly received by most who have seen it in person," some on social media have ridiculed it for not actually looking like her.
 
"Could be anyone," wrote one commenter on a Facebook post from the council announcing the work's unveiling. Another wrote that the sculpture was "beautiful" but didn't "look like our late queen or represent how she always dressed."
 
Read more and see what you think.

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Prince William, still sporting that summer beard, stepped in for his father on Thursday to attend the Sovereign's Parade at the Royal Air Force College in Cranwell, eastern England. The parade included graduates from the Commissioned Warrant Officers Course and Modular Initial Officer Training Course. In addition to the 48 Royal Air Force cadets, four international officer cadets -- from Jordan, Kenya, Pakistan and Uganda -- were at the passing-out parade. 
 
William is acutely familiar with the base, having trained there and received his own wings at a ceremony in 2008. "We live in a time of change and uncertainty, and you, as the future of the Royal Air Force, are the ones who will ensure that we are able to adapt and face future threats," he told graduates at the parade ground. 
 
William also got the opportunity to spend some time with his aunt, Lady Sarah McCorquodale, during the event. Sarah, one of Diana's three siblings, lives nearby, according to Britain's PA Media news agency. 

"Although I have finished chemotherapy, my path to healing and full recovery is long and I must continue to take each day as it comes."

– Catherine, Princess of Wales

Royal-watchers were delighted following the latest update from Kate on her health challenges. The 42-year-old mom of three revealed that she was in a "new phase of recovery," alongside a video message showing scenes of her summer with the family. 
 
The princess also shared that she will be "undertaking a few more public engagements," while keeping a light schedule to allow her to recover fully. She is expected to attend the annual Remembrance Day service at the Cenotaph in London in November, honoring those who have served in war. Read the full story here.