King Charles and Queen Camilla have started their five-day tour of Australia, marking the King’s first visit as the reigning monarch.
The royal couple landed in Sydney on Friday night, just after a heavy downpour stopped, and will spend the weekend resting at a Harbourside mansion before their official engagements begin.
This visit is historic, as it is the first by a King of Australia. Queen Elizabeth, Charles’s mother, made the last royal visit in 2011. Charles has visited Australia 15 times before, including two school terms at a remote campus in Victoria during his youth. However, this is his first trip since becoming King in 2022.
On Sunday, the royal couple will meet privately with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his fiancée, Jodie Haydon, at Admiralty House in Sydney. The rest of their tour will include attending formal dinners, laying wreaths, and greeting the public at major landmarks such as the Australian War Memorial and the Sydney Opera House.
A heartwarming moment occurred upon their arrival when a 12-year-old boy named Ky presented Queen Camilla with a bouquet of native waratah flowers, a gesture that brought smiles to the royal visitors.
In preparation for the royal visit, the Sydney Opera House displayed a photo montage of the King and Queen’s previous trips to Australia. The light display, delayed by a cruise ship named Queen Elizabeth, began just minutes before the couple crossed the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge.
The royal tour, carefully planned with the King’s health in mind, will conclude in Canberra on Tuesday.
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