Royal enthusiasts wait in anticipation as Charles and Camilla take rest day

Florist Venietta Slama stood outside her Kirribilli store brandishing the Union Jack on Friday night as King Charles’ motorcade passed by.

“Camilla and the King waved back at us directly,” she says. “He couldn’t really miss me because I was jumping up and down with a pretty flag. Very excited.”

Bloomingales lifestyle store founder Venietta Slama is enjoying the royal visit.Credit: Rhett Wyman

The 52-year-old’s lifestyle store Bloomingales is an unmissable presence on Kirribilli’s main drag right now, decked out since Tuesday in British paraphernalia ahead of the King’s visit. Though she sometimes feels like the only royalist in the village.

“There’s clearly a lot of republicans in Kirribilli because it’s very quiet. They seem to have fled,” Slama says. “A lot of people had no idea they were coming.”

It’s just a few blocks from the governor-general’s residence, where Charles and Camilla are staying during the Sydney leg of their tour. On Saturday morning the street outside Admiralty House were quiet, with locals stopping briefly on their morning walks; some waiting a little longer, hoping for some action.

Joan Murray, who was visiting from Belgium and staying nearby, said she was a royal enthusiast despite her Irish and Scottish heritage. Though keen to see the King, she was more enthusiastic about the nearby Mary Booth Lookout Reserve. “The scenery is so wonderful,” she said. “It’s so enjoyable to be able to walk along under trees with greenery all around.”

Queen Camilla and King Charles III on a walk around the grounds of Admiralty House on Saturday.Credit: Nine News

The King and Queen opted only for a brief stroll down to the harbour’s edge during a sunny period between 10 and 11am – him in a beige jacket and chinos, her in a blue summer dress and cardigan. There was speculation the pair would attend the Everest at Royal Randwick, the biggest day on the NSW racing calendar which includes the King Charles III Stakes – but in the end, Racing NSW boss Peter V’landys was left disappointed.

On Sunday, royal watchers will be able to see the couple at 11.30am after they attend a service at St Thomas’ Anglican Church, on the corner of McLaren and Church streets, in North Sydney.

“There is very limited space and limited amenities available,” the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet advised. “Members of the public should plan to gather on the lawns next to St Thomas’ Church no later than 11am to avoid road closures and allow for possible security screening.”

Charles and Camilla will then travel to Canberra, where they will visit the Australian War Memorial and conduct further public engagements on Monday, including at Parliament House.

It is the first visit to Australia by a reigning monarch since Queen Elizabeth II in 2011, and the first visit by a reigning king. But it is Charles’ 17th trip to the country, his most recent being in 2018 to open the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.

NSW Premier Chris Minns was among the officials to greet the royals at the airport on Friday night. Earlier, he told reporters he was a republican but would treat the King as an honoured guest in the state. “I hope he has a great time here, and I’ll be on my best behaviour,” Minns said.

A long-time royal enthusiast, Slama spent a decade in London and says she was among the first people to lay flowers at Kensington Palace on the morning of Princess Diana’s death.

“I just happened to be tripping out of a nightclub and the cab driver told me,” she says. “I’m a big Diana fan. I have also become a fan of Camilla over time. I think their relationship is the greatest love story in my time, Camilla and Charles. They’ve been through so much.”

Slama’s appreciation for Charles stems from his charity work and long-standing activism on the environment and climate. “I love the royals because they bring unity, they bring continuity,” she says. “I hope that we continue. I don’t know really what the alternative is.”

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