King Charles III did not linger long at the second scheduled event of his brief visit to Australia, a luncheon in his honour. His gift to the crowd was a reminder of the rapid passage of time.
There was a menu fit for a king, very Sydney: charred asparagus and olive powder; marinated octopus and squid ink wafer; barramundi and duck confit.
But the sovereign left before the first lesson. Addressing a crowd at the New South Wales Parliament Buildings, he presented an hourglass, told lawmakers the “sands of time” would encourage “shorthand” and, ten minutes after his arrival in the chamber, said that he would never be seen in public again. Until Monday.
Earlier, King Charles and Queen Camilla began their day at St Thomas' Anglican Church in North Sydney.
It's technically the third day of their six-day tour of Australia, but apart from a few handshakes upon landing on Friday night, it's the first chance the public has had to see the pair after a day off on Saturday. The schedule is designed not to tire out Raja, who is undergoing cancer treatment.
Inside the church, North Sydney Bishop Christopher Edwards called for world peace, while outside protesters carried banners reading “an empire built on genocide” and “decolonise”.
Hundreds of fans lined the streets and waved Australian flags (the Australian Monarchy League had promised to supply thousands).
In an unplanned moment, the king and queen went to greet the crowd and the police rushed to make sure they were protected.
Well-wishers threw bouquets of flowers into the queen's hands, which were then whisked away by attendees. A supporter held a flute as chants of “always were, always will be, tribal lands” wafted through the spring air.
The royal entourage moved from there to Parliament House, where the king was announced with trumpets and shouts of “hurray”. The New South Wales Legislative Council, the first government formed in Australia, celebrates its bicentenary this year.
Charles was toured by Speaker of the House Ben Franklin and usher Black Rod, representing another ancient tradition inherited from England in Australia. served the king in the British House of Lords).
Holding the artwork Kurra Jakun (Homeland or Homeland) by Kim Healy, the King stopped to admire the Kampingirr/Bandjalung artist.
“Having been with you on your 150th anniversary, I am delighted and honored to return to the Parliament of New South Wales to celebrate your bicentenary,” he said.
“It is fascinating to look back 200 years ago, and thinking back to those times makes me wonder what some members of the New South Wales legislature would be doing in this Parliament today and how this great state has progressed. .”
He described how the original members of the council (of whom George VI appointed only five before the council was subsequently enlarged) were “compressed into the old government house”.
“From that moment on, regardless of your faith, it is impossible to imagine what a vast and vibrant state New South Wales is. See the promise and power of representative democracy,” he said, adding that democracy has an “extraordinary capacity for innovation, compromise, adaptation and stability.”
The crowd laughed when he said it was “a bit eerie” having first arrived in Australia almost 60 years ago.
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In the spirit of marking the “passage of time”, Manimegalai presented a speech timer to “witness” the next chapter of Parliament. That caused more laughter, and the king poetically wanted to spin the hourglass himself, and then the sand ran slowly through the bulb.
“While the sands of time encourage contraction, it remains for me to say that it was a great joy to come to Australia for the first time as sovereign and renew my love for this country and its people, whom I had long admired. . “, said.
“So thank you. thank you Thank you for making me feel so welcome. Thank you.”
And he stayed away.
From there, the Royal Tour returned to Admiralty House, the Governor-General's grand official residence on Sydney Harbour, where they met the Governor of New South Wales, Margaret Beasley, and the Governor-General, Sam Mostyn. Mostyn told SBS television last week that he didn't think they would have long conversations about Australia becoming a republic, but rather wanted to “show him modern Australia”.
This will be Charles' 17th visit to Australia. Previous visit itineraries highlight how much this has been delayed, with the King stopping cancer treatment. He will only visit Sydney and Canberra and attend only a few events.
In 1983 he brought with him his new wife, Diana, Princess of Wales. It was not his first visit to Australia: in 1981, his mother, Frances Ruth Shand, who lived on a sheep farm near Yass, came to visit Kitt. But it was the first time she was Charles's wife.
Australia embraced the “people's princess”, but Diana later said her popularity fueled Charles' jealousy and increased marital tension.
A Canberra Times article about the 1983 visit said: “Princess Ama, on her first official visit to Australia, was more enthusiastic than Michael Parkinson or Rolf Harris (yet). Surely he is more welcome than them).
The people who advertised the trip were equally delighted with both Camilla and Charles.
The royal couple will now travel to Canberra. There will be a welcome to country and smoking ceremony, after which the King will lay a wreath in the Hall of Remembrance at the Australian War Memorial. The couple will then greet the public on their way to our country's memorial, followed by a trip to Parliament House.
Later in the afternoon they will plant a tree each in the grounds of Yarralumla and then visit the Botanic Gardens where they will hear about the impacts of the climate emergency on plants.
On Tuesday they will return to the New South Wales capital for events including a barbecue in western Sydney and a public appearance at the Sydney Opera House.
They will depart on Wednesday when the monarch flies to Samoa for a meeting of Commonwealth heads of government.
