King Charles makes first public appearance on Australia tour

King Charles makes first public appearance on Australia tour

/ 10:58 AM October 20, 2024

King Charles makes first public appearance on Australia tour

Britain’s King Charles III and Queen Camilla greet people after attending a Sunday morning service at St Thomas’ Anglican Church in Sydney on October 20, 2024, during their six-day royal visit to Sydney and Canberra. (Photo by Saeed KHAN / AFP)

SYDNEY — King Charles III attended church Sunday as he began an Australian tour in earnest, giving antipodean admirers the first glimpse of their reigning monarch.

The 75-year-old sovereign arrived in Sydney late on Friday evening, but had kept a low profile as he balances cancer recovery with royal duties.

Article continues after this advertisement

His first official public appearance was a Sunday morning service at St Thomas’ Anglican Church in northern Sydney, a stone edifice built as a place of worship for British colonial settlers.

FEATURED STORIES

READ: King Charles III heads to Australia and Commonwealth meeting

A number of prominent British colonists are buried in the church’s graveyard nearby, including Edward Wollstonecraft — a cousin of “Frankenstein” author Mary Shelley.

Article continues after this advertisement

Lynton Martin, 22, drove nine hours from Melbourne and donned a union flag print jacket and nine royal lapel pins before trying to catch a glimpse of the royals.

Article continues after this advertisement

“I wanted to show that we are supportive and welcoming of the king,” he told AFP, expecting an “aura” to Sunday’s service.

Article continues after this advertisement

Last year he traveled to London for Charles’ coronation, which he described as a “spectacular” event.

READ: Royal rest for cancer patient British king on first day of Australia tour

Article continues after this advertisement

Charles will later address the New South Wales state parliament and make a short trip to Admiralty House for a string of closed-door meetings with high-ranking officials.

The harborside mansion is the Sydney residence of Australia’s governor-general, the monarch’s representative Down Under.

Royal watchers eager to glimpse the king will have another chance on Monday, when he arrives in the capital Canberra alongside Queen Camilla for the busiest stretch of his slimmed-down schedule.

Charles — who received the life-changing cancer diagnosis just eight months ago — is embarking on a nine-day visit to Australia and Samoa, the first major foreign tour since he was crowned.

Visiting British royals have typically carried out weeks-long visits to stoke support, parading through streets packed with thrilled, flag-waving subjects.

But the king’s fragile health this time around has seen much of the typical grandeur scaled back.

Intentional or not, the more modest schedule should also help stave off republican concerns about out-of-touch spending and lavish royal banquets.

Aside from a community barbecue in Sydney and an event at the city’s famed opera house, there will be few mass public gatherings.

A handful of protesters gathered near the church on Sunday, brandishing demands to “decolonize” Australia.

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our daily newsletter

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

Australians, while marginally in favour of the monarchy, are far from the enthusiastic loyalists they were in 2011 when thousands flocked to catch a white-gloved wave from Charles’ mother Queen Elizabeth II.

TAGS: Australia, King Charles III

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our newsletter!

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

© Copyright 1997-2024 INQUIRER.net | All Rights Reserved

This is an information message

We use cookies to enhance your experience. By continuing, you agree to our use of cookies. Learn more here.