Britain's King Charles met with members of the public following his attendance at an event commemorating the Bicentenary of the New South Wales Legislative Council, held at New South Wales Parliament House in Sydney, during his visit to Australia and Samoa on Sunday. — Reuters
King Charles' admirers in the antipodes had their first encounter with their reigning monarch on Sunday, as the British royal attended a church service and expressed his 'great joy' at returning to the land Down Under. The 75-year-old sovereign arrived in Sydney late on Friday evening but maintained a low profile as he balances his recovery from cancer with his royal duties. His first official public appearance was a Sunday morning service at St Thomas' Anglican Church, a stone edifice constructed as a place of worship for British colonial settlers. A few hundred people gathered around the building, cheering, holding flowers, and waving flags. Two women held up a sign saying 'G'day your majesties'. Lynton Martin, 22, drove nine hours from Melbourne and wore a union flag print jacket adorned with nine royal lapel pins, all in an effort to catch a glimpse of the royals. 'I wanted to show that we are supportive and welcoming of the king,' he told AFP, anticipating an 'aura' to Sunday's service. Last year, Martin traveled to London for Charles' coronation, which he described as a 'spectacular' event.
During the church service, Bishop Christopher Edwards prayed for peace and an end to wars, and asked that Charles' upcoming Commonwealth summit in Samoa be prosperous. Later on Sunday, Charles made brief remarks at the New South Wales legislative council, where he praised the 'promise and power of representative democracy' and made a light-hearted comment about his advancing age. 'I first came to Australia nearly 60 years ago, which is slightly worrying,' he said to laughter. 'It just remains for me to say what a great joy it is to come to Australia for the first time as sovereign and to renew a love of this country and its people which I have cherished for so long'. Charles will spend the remainder of Sunday at Admiralty House, a harbourside mansion that serves as the Sydney residence of Australia's governor-general, the monarch's representative in the country. Royal enthusiasts eager to catch a glimpse of the king will have another opportunity on Monday when he arrives in the capital Canberra alongside Queen Camilla for the busiest stretch of his streamlined schedule. Charles, who received a life-changing cancer diagnosis just eight months ago, is embarking on a nine-day visit to Australia and Samoa, marking his first major foreign tour since his coronation. Traditionally, visiting British royals have undertaken weeks-long visits to bolster support, parading through streets filled with enthusiastic, flag-waving subjects. However, the king's fragile health this time around has led to a significant reduction in the usual grandeur. Whether intentional or not, the more modest schedule should also help mitigate republican concerns about excessive spending and lavish royal banquets. Aside from a community barbecue in Sydney and an event at the city's renowned opera house, there will be few mass public gatherings. A handful of protesters gathered near the church on Sunday, demanding the 'decolonisation' of Australia. While Australians are marginally in favor of the monarchy, they are far from the enthusiastic loyalists they were in 2011 when thousands gathered to catch a glimpse of Charles' mother, Queen Elizabeth II, waving with a white-gloved hand.
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