King Charles and Queen Camilla tour Canberra
King Charles and Queen Camilla have landed in the nation’s capital, where they were greeted by a host of dignitaries and jubilant schoolchildren waving flags.
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King Charles and Queen Camilla have landed in the nation’s capital to the cheers of school children for a jam-packed day of events.
The King and Queen left Sydney’s Admiralty House bound for Canberra in the morning and touched down in the capital just after 12pm.
At Canberra Airport, school children gathered to welcome the King and Queen, with some of the kids dancing and laughing in anticipation.
The kids were given earplugs and little flags to wave.
Defence Minister Richard Marles and Indigenous Elder Aunty Serena Williams also greeted the royal couple after they stepped off the plane.
The King and Queen will lay a wreath at the Australian War Memorial and meet members of the public later on Monday.
A mass of royal fans are expected to flock to the memorial to welcome their majesties’, hoping to catch a glimpse and perhaps even snap a photo of the historic visit.
A group of some two dozen Indigenous protesters have positioned themselves outside the War Memorial, chanting “always was, always will be Aboriginal land”.
The group is well away from where the King and Queen will soon appear.
About two dozen police officers are on hand to watch them and keep them away from the area where several hundred people have gathered.
The Canberra heat is already bearing down on the well-wishers.
An ambulance crew was called to help an elderly woman who sat down after feeling unwell.
She had been in a prime position on the official Crowe line that is expected to meet the royal pair.
Governor-General Sam Mostyn and her partner Simeon Beckett are at the memorial.
The streets are closed throughout the city amid heightened security around the visit, and people wishing to see the King and Queen have been advised to leave plenty of time for travel.
After the Australian War Memorial, King and Queen will then head to Parliament House for a ceremonial welcome to Australia’s centre of power.
Cannon fire will echo across the capital as they receive a 21-gun salute and a guard honour at around 1pm.
A reception hosted by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his fiancee Jodie Haydon will take place at Aussies Cafe inside Parliament House’s Great Hall.
The cafe plays a crucial role in keeping all who work in the halls of power caffeinated.
Later in the afternoon, the royal couple will part ways for separate engagements.
The King will meet with Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and visit the national science agency’s National Bushfire Research Centre to meet firefighters and scientists.
Meanwhile, the Queen will attend an event for domestic violence survivors.
Their majesties will round off the visit with a trip to the Australian National Botanic Gardens, before heading back to Sydney.
King Charles’ visit is the first by a reigning monarch in 13 years, and the first ever visit by a reigning king.
Not all fanfare
Not everyone is enthused about the royal tour, with Australia’s republicans saying it is time to farewell the monarchy, and Indigenous rights groups lamenting it as a reminder of Australia’s dark colonial past.
Among those not joining in the fanfare is Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi, who said on Monday “the monarchy symbolises an era that should be left behind for good, not celebrated.”
“It will come as no surprise that I will not be participating in any pomp and ceremony celebrating the monarchy, but I’d be happy to go to the airport to wish them a final goodbye in the hope that this is the last time the crown visits this country as rulers,” she said.
“Preserving the British monarchy is to preserve white supremacy and the systemic racist structures that were built by the Empire and persist today.”
Placard-brandishing protesters gathered and royalists faced off near St Thomas’ in North Sydney ahead of the service attended by the King and Queen on Sunday.
Pro-Palestine protesters and Indigenous rights activists unfurled Banners reading “decolonise” and “empire built on genocide”.
There were also chants of “Always Was, Always Will be, Aboriginal Land.”
In response to a request to meet from the Australian Republican Movement earlier this year, the King said the decision to become a republic rested with the Australian people.
It has been 25 years since Australia last held a vote on becoming a republic.
Originally published as King Charles and Queen Camilla tour Canberra
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