‘Celebrate the best of Australia’: Where King Charles will visit when he lands Down Under
A crowd fit for a King is expected to gather outside the Sydney Opera House when the Monarch kicks off his royal tour. While details of the trip have been kept under wraps, one event he is attending can be revealed.
NSW
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A crowd of more than 10,000 is expected to flock to the Opera House when King Charles visits Sydney on his first royal tour as monarch next week.
It is understood the NSW government is preparing for a bumper turnout, as state authorities tasked with managing traffic and roads for the Tuesday, October 22, event ramp up their preparations.
The visit to the Opera House will come 51 years and two days after the King’s mother officially opened it, with Business Sydney chief executive Paul Nicolaou saying the chamber was expecting interstate visitors as well as locals to attend.
“Paparazzi from around the world will be here taking photographs and filming the visit – it’s a great opportunity to show off Sydney for the rest of the world,” he said, adding the throng of visitors aiming to see the King and Queen Camilla would be a welcome boost for the city’s hospitality and tourism businesses.
The Daily Telegraph can reveal the King will also launch an exhibition celebrating 200 years of the NSW Legislative Council and will attend an “exclusive luncheon” on Sunday at state parliament while in Sydney.
The event will launch the “Legacy & Evolution” exhibition, showcasing the NSW Upper House’s transformation from “humble beginnings” to the “robust and representative democratic institution that it is today”.
Details of the King and Queen’s visit are being kept tightly held, with those in the know prohibited from talking about the King’s plans. However, a copy of the invitation to the bicentenary event, leaked to the Telegraph, invited attendees to attend an “exclusive luncheon” in the “presence of” NSW Governor Margaret Beazley. The Telegraph yesterday confirmed the King also plans to attend.
On what will be his 17th visit to our shores and his first as King, Charles, 75 – who is still undergoing chemotherapy for cancer – will arrive in Sydney on Friday night, aiming to “celebrate the best of Australia”, Buckingham Palace has said.
While touching down on Friday, royal fans in Australia will have to wait until Sunday to see the King and Queen.
During the royal tour, they will take in some of the nation’s most iconic landmarks in Canberra and Sydney, with additional engagements in smaller communities, Buckingham Palace announced.
These events are crafted to “celebrate the best of Australia” and to highlight key aspects of the royal couple’s own philanthropic work.
The public’s first chance to catch a glimpse of the King and Queen will be at a church in Sydney on Sunday before he receives the governor-general at Admiralty House later in the morning.
There are plans for the royal couple to meet the public at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra on Monday, where they are set to lay a wreath at 12.35pm. Those wishing to attend are advised to arrive by 11.45am to navigate road closures and undergo security screenings.
Following this solemn ceremony, the royals will proceed to Parliament House for a formal welcome at 1pm, where Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will greet them.
Later, at 2.10pm, the royal pair will meet fans in the Parliament House forecourt, and as always, early arrivals are encouraged.
The following day, the royal entourage heads back to Sydney, where Australians are invited to welcome Their Majesties at the Sydney Opera House.
On Tuesday, the The King visits the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence while the queen will attend Refettorio OzHarvest in Surry Hills before she visits Green Square Library.
He will take in the Cowper Street development in Glebe, attend a Community BBQ in Parramatta Park and attend the Melanoma Institute Australia before doing a tour of the Sydney Opera House and then inspect a navy fleet.
The tour is a short one before he heads to Samoa for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
Ahead of the visit, royal experts said the King was “in it for the long term”, amid a predictable rise in talk among republicans that Australia could ditch the monarchy in coming years.
Royal biographer Robert Jobson said the King’s focus was firmly on his role and talk of a potential referendum on Australia’s future as a constitutional monarchy would not bother him.
“When I spoke to the King about a positive poll last time he was in Australia, he said to me ‘polls mean nothing to me, you see I’m in it for the long term,’ Mr Jobson told The Daily Telegraph.
“He hasn’t changed his mind, he’s always had a love for Australians and their sense of humour.
“It’s very important for him to come back to Australia as King, he loves Australia and Australians.”
The Australian Monarchy Movement announced on Sunday it would this week launch its Wave Goodbye to Royal Reign with Monarchy: The Farewell Oz Tour!
No protests are planned by the group, which wants an Australian head of state.
“Australians are a richly diverse people who take pride in our democratic institutions. We expect a full-time, fully committed Head of State whose only allegiance is to us – a unifying symbol at home and abroad,” said Co-Chair Esther Anatolitis.
“This is a once-in-a-decade opportunity to invite all Australians to ask why our contemporary democracy is still headed by a king. We encourage all Australians to join the conversation using the hashtag #FarewellOzTour.”
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Originally published as ‘Celebrate the best of Australia’: Where King Charles will visit when he lands Down Under
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