On the first day of their Australian tour, King Charles and Queen Camilla attended a Sunday service in a Sydney church.
It is the King’s first journey to Australia since becoming the country’s head of state in September 2022, and the longest trip he has taken since beginning cancer treatment in February.
During their six-day tour to the Commonwealth country, they will engage with governmental and community leaders as well as celebrate the country’s people, culture, and traditions.
They were joined by members of St Thomas’ Anglican Church in northern Sydney for the ceremony, which was presided over by the city’s archbishop, the Most Reverend Kanishka Raffel.
The royal couple greeted some well-wishers after a crowd of a few hundred people, many of whom had waited since early morning, were permitted into the church precinct to interact with the royal couple following the service.
For most, it was a quick hello and an opportunity to pass over flowers or take a photo.
Lyn Tarbuck attended with her Republican husband Bob and her two King Charles spaniels. She added of the monarchy, “I believe it has joined forces; if we have a problem in Australia, they will assist us.” We are a large country with a little population, therefore the more assistance we receive, the better.”
Roslyn Durie, who met the Queen during her 1980 visit to Australia, stated she was
Sandra Hall and her husband, Peter, were also present to welcome the royal couple. Ms Hall stated: “I shook hands with Camilla first and welcomed her to Sydney, and then Charles arrived. I responded, ‘Look, it’s a beautiful sunny day.’ He said, ‘It’s usually sunny in Sydney.'”
A tiny but vocal group of approximately 20 demonstrators chanted “not our King” outside the church.
They carried banners with the word “decolonise” and waved Aboriginal and Palestinian flags.
Wayne Wharton, an Indigenous Kooma protester from Brisbane, yelled out, “I charge you, I charge the King…” “With crimes against the sovereign nations of this country and war crimes against our people.”
“I do not recognise the illegal occupation of this country,” declared the commander.
On Sunday, the King also gave an hourglass to the New South Wales state parliament to commemorate the upper house’s 200th anniversary.
He also delivered an address to visitors in which he expressed his “great joy” at visiting Australia for the first time as Sovereign, “and to renew a love of this country and its people which I have cherished for so long”.
On Saturday, the couple’s leisure day, an image of the King and Queen Camilla was released, depicting the royals upon their arrival on Friday at Admiralty House, the official residence of Australia’s governor-general, who represents the King in the country.
