As it happened: King Charles, Queen Camilla attend North Sydney church service

Thanks for following along our live coverage of King Charles and Queen Camilla’s Sydney visit today.

That’s all from us, but make sure to come back tomorrow when we’ll be blogging a busy day of events in Canberra.

Their majesties are set to arrive in the capital just before midday, where there will be an official welcome to country ceremony.

The King and Queen will then visit the war memorial where they will lay a wreath and floral tribute.

Their majesties will visit Parliament House for a reception, and to meet the public waiting outside.

The Queen will visit Government House where she will discuss domestic violence at an event hosted by the Governor General.

The King will visit the CSIRO National Bushfire Behaviour Research Lab to meet with scientists and firefighters.

Finally the royals will visit the botanic gardens to meet volunteers and discuss the impact of climate change.

Suzanne Bullock, 73, arrived early at St Thomas’ Anglican Church on Sunday determined to shake hands with the King and address a regret she has had for more than half a century.

In 1972, she turned down a job to work for the Royal Family as a chambermaid.

Suzanne Bullock, 73, outside St Thomas’ Anglican Church in North Sydney.Credit: Julie Power

Backpacking across Europe, she was offered a job, and told she’d have the opportunity to travel with members of the House of Windsor. But the head housekeeper of Buckingham Palace said the only condition was that she had to “stay three months”.

And if she didn’t, the head housekeeper said: “If you don’t, we will never employ any more Australian girls or New Zealanders.”

Bullock, of Forestville in northern Sydney, said: “I thought, ‘I have the weight of the world on my shoulders’. I felt responsible.”

She turned the job down to spend time with her boyfriend of the time back in Australia. It remains one of her biggest regrets. “I had visions of serving soup to the then-Prince Charles,” said Bullock.

Most of us had hoped Queen Camilla would sport an Australian designer during her Sydney visit.

Instead, the Queen opted for an trusted favourite designer of hers: Anna Valentine of London.

Queen Camilla wears Anna Valentine. Credit: Edwina Pickles

Queen Camilla wore a pale green dress and coat which fell above the ankle, complemented by an angular straw hat and white heels.

Anna Valentine pieces are some of the Queen’s favourites, and she is often photographed wearing looks from the British designer.

Earlier this year in one of her fashion highlights of 2024, the Queen wore an Anna Valentine cream dress with a bold giraffe design – a twist on traditional animal print – to Wimbledon.

We are loving hearing about Sydneysiders’ encounters with the King and Queen today.

Our reporters were out capturing the excitement, but we know there are plenty of stories out there – and we want to hear yours.

If you met the King or Queen today, get in touch with us below.

With their official duties over for the day, King Charles and Queen Camilla can relax and enjoy some downtime before jetting off to Canberra tomorrow for another busy day of engagements.

There are no evening engagements and no state dinners on the schedule for this visit, with the King and Queen sticking to a few daytime visits each day.

King Charles leaves a church service in North Sydney. Credit: Getty

Given the King is still receiving cancer treatment, King Charles will have plenty of time to rest and recover after each day’s activities.

Just because the King has finished up for the day doesn’t mean we have – we still have plenty of royal updates to come, so don’t tune out just yet.

The King’s arrival was a superfan moment at NSW Parliament. MPs accustomed to being the centre of attention themselves craned their necks to catch a glimpse of King Charles as he walked into the Strangers’ Function Room at NSW Parliament House.

Many of them held up their phones to film the entrance of the monarch, who was announced to the gathering as the King of Australia (a lone voice responded with a shout of “hooray”; in response to the hooray, another lone voice laughed).

As he entered to the sound of NSW Police trumpeters, he chatted to MPs along his path. One was Liberal Vaucluse MP Kellie Sloane, who told him that the Bondi surf clubs sent their very best.

“He asked if Bondi was as amazing as it has always been,” she said.

“I said it continues to be an amazing place. He said he had great memories and wishes he’d been able to visit.”

As the King walked past Manly MP James Griffin as he arrived, he told the former environment minister, “sorry to interrupt your lunch”. As he left, the two men had a “great natured debate about the merits of Manly vs Bondi”.

MPs from both sides of politics described it as a memorable event.

“We may all be pro-republic, but acknowledge this is a very special occasion for the parliament, and we want to be a part of it,” said one Labor MP on the condition of anonymity, so they could speak freely.

A National MP, on the same condition, said it was “a really special day … all MPs were saying this morning that it’s a rare occasion to have a reigning monarch address us, so everyone has been very excited”.

The crowd gathered outside NSW Parliament House was delighted when King Charles finished his visit by greeting well-wishers.

Sasha Barrass, 13, was among them, and decided to try to see the monarch with her family. She had hoped to catch a glimpse of the King – she ended up shaking his hand.

“He has a firm handshake,” she said.

The King delighted fans outside NSW Parliament. Credit: News Corp Australia

“I said hello to him, and he said hello back, and then my mum said, ‘long live your majesty’, and my dad said he hopes the King is well, and he said how everyone is very kind.

“I’m really thankful that I was able to meet him in person and even get the opportunity to shake hands with him. I’m really excited and will treasure this moment for the rest of my life.”

Finlay Tanger, 13, was also among those waiting on Macquarie Street, with his father and sister. Both he and sister Felicity shook the King’s hand.

“When he came out of the parliament house and walked across the street, it was unbelievable,” he said.

“It’s not every day that you get to meet the King. I told him that I was born in London, and he said, ‘I’m very glad’.”

Lynton Martin’s jacket was covered in the red, white and blue of the Union Jack flag, the de facto flag of the United Kingdom.

A royal superfan, he arrived early on Sunday to catch a glimpse of the Royal couple attending the church service at St Thomas’ Anglican Church in North Sydney.

Royals super fan Lynton Martin waits eagerly as King Charles and Queen Camilla attend a church service at St Thomas’ Anglican Church in North Sydney.Credit: Dion Georgopoulos

He wore a matching bow tie, and a range of brooches including one with the Crown and another saying, “long live the king”.

A super fan of the Royals who lives in Reservoir in Melbourne’s north, he said he had a very long drive to Sydney yesterday.

He will travel to Canberra for the royal visit on Sunday, and continue his pilgrimage throughout the week.

Last year he travelled to London for the Coronation. “It was spectacular,” he said.

He owes his love of the House of Windsor to his grandparents, who collected some royal memorabilia.

“My grandmother was very fond of the Queen [Elizabeth],” said Martin.

The King has met Governor-General Sam Mostyn in his final official engagement of the day.

King Charles met Mostyn at Admiralty House, the typical residence for royals visiting Sydney.

He also met with NSW Governor Margaret Beazley.

King Charles poses for a photograph with Governor-General of Australia Sam Mostyn at Admiralty House.Credit: Getty Images

Elizabeth Kenny didn’t expect her birthday to culminate in meeting the royals when she woke up today.

“It was a bit of surprise,” she said. But she was one of a handful of people who met the King and Queen before they got into waiting cars.

Kenny welcomed them to Sydney and Australia, and King Charles responded, “You are very kind.”

Kenny said their majesties were very gracious. She managed to take a video of her meeting, but her hands were shaking with nerves then … and still five minutes after.

Elizabeth Kenny had an interaction up close with King Charles and Queen Camilla.Credit: Dion Georgopoulos

“I can’t look at it [the video] because I am so shaken,” she said.

Standing near Kenny, Epping’s Malcolm Lemaire – a descendant of a First Fleeter – presented the Queen with some red roses.

“When she was leaving, she was holding them in her hand.”

He was there to greet the royals because he believed “in our constitutional system, and they represent it well”.

Asked if he supported a republic, Lemaire said: “We have a good system, so why change it? It is a wonderful to have some of our heritage, our past and the future. Why throw it down the toilet?”