King Charles and Queen Camilla to be welcomed by party of republicans

The King and Queen’s Australian welcome party will include three republicans, but that won’t get in the way of a grand arrival with a light show on the Opera House.

King Charles III and Queen Camilla will be welcomed on the tarmac of Sydney Airport by republicans Anthony Albanese and Chris Minns when they touch down on Australian soil for their historic tour of the country.

The royals will be heralded by the PM, Premier and other dignitaries, including one-time republican Governor-General Sam Mostyn and NSW Governor Margaret Beazley AC KC.

They will also be greeeted by 12-year-old Ky and his sister Charlotte, after Ky asked to meet the King and Queen through the Make-a-Wish Foundation. The siblings will present a posy to Queen Camilla.

Mr Minns said he was hopeful the King would have a great time during his time in NSW, the only state he is visiting on the trip alongside the Australian Capital Territory.

“I’m a republican but I’m going to treat him as an honoured guest in NSW, which he genuinely is,” the Premier said. “I hope he’ll have a great time here and I’ll be on my best behaviour.”

King Charles III and Queen Camilla will fly into Sydney on Friday evening. Picture: Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

The tour, which comes amid the King’s ongoing cancer treatment, is being branded as a sign of the royal family’s love for Australia, and a symbol that the crown “takes away the life of the monarch”.

Australian Monarchist League spokesman for the tour Alexander Voltz said the organisation was preparing more than 15,000 Australians flags to hand out to fans awaiting the royals.

“The King has a very special relationship with Australia having studied here … he has an affinity for us,” he said.

“No ordinary individual would undertake a tour like this if they had cancer, but he is no ordinary individual.

“The tour is a reminder that the crown is a symbol that takes away the life of the monarch … a lot of Australians have growing respect for the King and Queen.”

If the royal pair fly over Sydney Harbour on their arrival, they will catch a glimpse of the illuminated Opera House, which will be lit up from 8pm to midnight with a four-minute looping montage of images from previous royal visits.

If they miss it from the air, they will have another opportunity on land as they drive over Sydney Harbour Bridge on the way to Admiralty House.

The light show, which will cost an estimated $97,189.25, was given the go-ahead by the Minns government after it previously refused to light up Sydney Opera House for the King’s coronation.

Thousands of royalists will line the barricades around Sydney Airport hoping to catch a glimpse of the royals – the King’s first to a realm country as monarch, but his 15th official visit Down Under – for a whistlestop five-day tour of Australia which will includesa day in Canberra.

While Saturday has been blocked out as a day of rest for the King, who is undergoing chemotherapy for an unknown form of cancer, it is understood he and Queen Camilla are eager to attend the second half of Everest Day at Royal Randwick to watch the Group 1 $5 million King Charles III Stakes (1600m) named in his honour at 5.35pm.

Both he and Camilla are said to be exceptionally interested in attending the ninth

race of the day, with contingency plans being made at the Sydney track should they make a cameo appearance.

Sydney’s Group 1 $20 million TAB Everest has sold out and the Australian Turf Club and Racing NSW closed General Admission ticket sales four days ahead of the event in the interests of crowd safety.

Saturday’s total crowd has exceeded last year’s number of 46,498 and has reached 50,000 people. All hospitality spaces and functions across Royal Randwick are sold out.

This is the first visit to Australia by a reigning monarch since Queen Elizabeth II visited in 2011. The royal couple will meet with Their Majesties will meet privately with Mr Albanese and his partner Jodie Haydon at Admiralty House before formally commencing their Australian tour.

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Originally published as King Charles and Queen Camilla to be welcomed by party of republicans