Not even the Queen is going to stop Sydney people from living their best lives
Not even the Queen is going to stop Sydney people from living their best lives.
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Not even an actual Queen is going to stop the people of Surry Hills enjoying their brunches.
Queen Camilla ventured into Sydney’s inner-city to visit a food charity on Tuesday, an area home to shops where candles cost $50 and rats that like to take themselves on daylight outings.
It’s truly a melting pot.
Gasping women in expensive-looking sunglasses and a man with a parrot on his shoulder were there to greet her.
Queen Camilla was in town to dine at Oz Harvest, a restaurant providing free meals to those in need.
She turned up looking regal in a bright blue frock, a few people “wooed” at her arrival and then she was whisked inside.
The Queen did draw a crowd on Crown St, but the people of Surry Hills were largely unbothered by the royal arrival.
I’m pretty sure a new Messina would have garnered a bigger line-up. It was obscenely Sydney behaviour.
The vibe was a mix.
There were fans openly gawking at Camilla but there were also many people just going on about their days and ignoring the loitering police.
People were chowing down on their $30 breakfasts at cafes next door and others were walking their expensive purebred dogs.
Some didn’t even appear to notice the semi-closed road and the police packs because they were strutting down the main street while chatting on their phones.
“I think in this area, it is pretty progressive, and no one gives a s**t,” one local told me while sipping on a piccolo in a tiny ceramic mug on the pavement.
Another amused local, who had wandered up the street to have a geeze, admitted that the royal visit would probably pass most people by.
“I don’t think they’ll notice. I don’t think it comes up on their radar,” he said.
He might be right.
A woman stopped trying to get a glimpse of Camilla to pause and start taking photos of her designer dog. Then, she evidently missed the brief moment when the royal exited the car and entered the venue.
One woman admitted that she was only standing on Crown St and trying to catch a glimpse of Camilla less because she was “nosy” and couldn’t resist a sticky beak.
The cafes were packed, but one waitress said she found that the majority of customers who had turned up to eat were surprised to learn they’d be metres away from the Queen.
Another who worked in the area but was on a coffee break with their designer pooch immediately batted me away.
“I don’t really care,” she warned.
When I clarified that not caring was interesting enough to warrant a chat, she then revealed what would pique her interest.
“I would be more interested if Lidia Thorpe rocked up,” she revealed.
Another local shop owner was less cool about the whole thing. “I’m very excited,” he said, adding that he loves the buzz of a royal visit.
Although he did admit not everyone is.
“My neighbour two doors down came up to me this morning and asked, ‘What on earth is going on?’” he explained.
Someone else who was waiting in the crowd admitted he was just there because it was “convenient”, and he was staying at a hotel down the road.
One Gen Zer who had been dining at the cafe next to Oz Harvest, admitted she had no idea what was going on when she saw the police arriving.
“I thought a big drug bust was happening,” she admitted.
Her mate nodded in agreement before admitting she had to google the Queen to “remember what she looked like”.
Two young guys stopped by to see what was going on, and when I informed them that Queen Camilla was dining at a nearby cafe.
One immediately got on the blower, “I’ve got to call my Grampa! He loves this stuff,” he said.
“Is she going to come out soon? Otherwise we might go. If it was LeBron James it’d be a different story.”
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Originally published as Not even the Queen is going to stop Sydney people from living their best lives
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