Today's official announcement that Charles Sturt University (CSU) is to be included in the Royal visit has been met with honour and delight.

As part of the three day royal tour of New South Wales, the Duke of Edinburgh will visit the University's Wagga Wagga Campus on Tuesday 21 March to see first hand developments and expertise in the wine industry, cheesemaking and the internationally acclaimed Equine Centre.

The Queen and Duke will then tour the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture in Canberra on Monday 27 March. The national centre was announced last year as a joint initiative led by Charles Sturt University and the Anglican Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn.

The Vice-Chancellor of Charles Sturt University, Professor Cliff Blake, said the University's inclusion in both the NSW and Canberra royal tours was "indeed a high honour and significant recognition for CSU as a regional university".

"The University's Wagga Wagga Campus houses the National Wine and Grape Industry Centre alongside its award winning winery, the new cheese factory is in full production, and the Equine Centre is currently managing and training the team of horses for the Sydney Olympic Games Modern Pentathlon," he said.

"In Canberra, the recently announced Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture is planned as a new centre for ecumenical activity. The centre is in an advanced stage of planning and will be located on a prominent site within the parliamentary triangle.

"We are looking forward to this wonderful opportunity to show our innovation, diversity and commitment to regional development as a university."