King Charles and Queen Camilla’s packed Canberra visit
King Charles and Queen Camilla have had a busy day in Canberra as their whirlwind royal tour continues. See photos.
King Charles and Queen Camilla have been given an enthusiastic reception as they toured national institutions in Canberra, with large crowds heard wishing the monarch a long life and occasionally bursting into spirited renditions of God Save the King.
In a packed itinerary, the King and Queen visited the Australian War Memorial and Parliament House on a one-day trip to the national capital, with supporters already deeming the royal tour a success.
While republican sentiment has seemed to dominate some previous royal tours – most notably when the then Prince Charles visited in 1994 – protests in Canberra on Monday were mainly on the sidelines and small, despite a noisy disruption by independent Senator Lidia Thorpe after the King’s speech in the Great Hall of Parliament House.
After an official tarmac welcome to Canberra from Arthur Spyrou, Head of Commonwealth Protocol, and Ngunnawal elder Aunty Serena Williams, the royal couple were taken in a 12-car motorcade to pay their respects at the Australian War Memorial, laying wreaths and observing a minute of silence at the Hall of Memory.
They also placed poppies on the Roll of Honour and signed books of distinguished visitors while seated at a table placed near the Pool of Reflection.
Then it was on to Parliament House, where the King and Queen received a 21-gun salute and inspected the Royal Guard of Honour.
Queen Camilla wore a white silk crepe court dress by Anna Valentine for the day, with a diamond and pearl brooch previously worn by Queen Elizabeth II and the Queen Mother, while King Charles sported his military honours on the breast of his navy blue suit.
Later he was seen wearing gold aviator-style sunglasses in the bright Canberra sunshine.
The royal couple were welcomed to Parliament House by Governor-General Sam Mostyn, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton.
During the official reception, Mr Albanese remarked on the formative experiences the King has received in Australia over the years, from his schooling at Geelong Grammar’s Timbertop campus in the 1960s, to being interviewed on live television by Molly Meldrum.
In a short speech, the King paid tribute to the “extraordinary bravery and resilience” of the Australian character, particularly in the wake of natural disasters.
He also appeared to lend his support to renewable energy, telling the crowd Australia had “all the ingredients to create a more sustainable regenerative way of living”.
Guests at the reception included former prime minister John Howard and his wife Janette, former prime minister Tony Abbott, former foreign minister Julie Bishop, horse trainer Gai Waterhouse, mining executive Andrew ‘Twiggy’ Forrest, businessman Lindsay Fox, and Olympic gold medallist Jess Fox.
Later in the afternoon the royal party was set to split into two, with Queen Camilla attending a discussion on family violence hosted by the Governor-General, while King Charles toured the CSIRO’s National Bushfire Research Laboratory.
The King held individual brief audiences with Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and Prime Minister Albanese, and the Queen was to met representatives of the charity GIVIT, before the royal couple regrouped for a tour of the National Botanic Gardens.
“Their Majesties are deeply grateful to the very many thousands who turned out to support them, and are only sorry they didn’t have a chance to stop and talk to every single one,” a palace spokesman said.
“The warmth and scale of the reception was truly awesome.”
Tuesday marks the last full day of the tour, with the royal couple set to make appearances at a community barbecue in Parramatta and the Sydney Opera House.
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