Royal reflections: A daily insight into the King & Queen’s royal tour to Australia

My favourite moment of the royal tour was not Canberra’s sneezing alpaca, Queen Camilla playfully snapping her barbecue tongs while flipping snags at a western Sydney community barbie, the dramatic fly past over a glittering Sydney harbour or the flash mob of schoolkids showing off their moves to the King and Queen on the forecourt of Sydney Opera House…though these were all great.

The sight I will never forget is of the King and Queen arm in arm emerging from the rainforest walk in Canberra’s Botanic Gardens. The King was gazing up at the ancient canopy of trees, his passion for the environment evident as he pointed out plants to his “darling wife”. It was a very different public image of monarchy to the more formal one of the late Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh and revealed the intense and powerful bond between this royal couple. They work as a team, equal and in sync and here the depth of their love was on display, for all to see.

It happened again when the couple walked down the Sydney Opera House steps elated at the 10,000 Australians who had turned out to see them, waving at the crowds and taking in the sheer beauty of the Emerald City.

I always knew the reign of King Charles would be different, moving the monarchy into the modern age, embracing diversity, advocating for environmental issues, trying to fix as many global problems as possible. Charles has always been a man of vision and action. And certainly, already we are seeing those changes. But part of the new Carolean Age is letting the people in and here in Australia we saw the man behind the crown. What I saw in those two moments of togetherness between the King and Queen was a beautiful love match.

There was another love on display on this tour, which took me by surprise. The obvious affection the Australian people has for Charles. Many wondered if he could ever be as popular as his mother, but the size of the crowds who lined up to see the couple showed he is much admired.

They came from far and wide and waited several hours for their brush with royalty and what they got in those now familiar royal meet and greets was different. Charles and Camilla shook as many hands as they could muster, happily accepting gifts, talking to people and listening to their stories. Everywhere phones were held aloft snatching shots – something not allowed in Queen Elizabeth’s day.

In a speech at a private event for the King’s Trust Australia, King Charles’s charity in this country, Governor-General Sam Mostyn talked about her own first meeting with the King in London when she was appointed earlier this year. It ran for an hour as they talked freely about the Australia they both cherish and His Majesty’s plans for this tour. The Governor-General said she found the King to be a man of warmth and compassion, easy to talk to and above all “very kind”.

In a world so divided by conflict and hate, to have a kind man as King of Australia feels very comforting, whatever you may feel about our system of constitutional monarchy. It’s touching that he chose Australia for his first overseas tour since being crowned and Australians clearly relished meeting him and Camilla. To come at a cost to his own health shows a dedication to service that he surely learned at his mother’s knee.

The tour may have been short, but its impact was deep and as one schoolchild told me, “I’ll remember this day forever”.

I was watching on from the gallery above the glittering parliamentary reception and from up there I could sense the excitement in the room in the build up to Their Majesties arrival.

The Hall was filled with dignitaries including previous Governors-General Dame Quentin Bryce and Sir Peter Cosgrove and all the state Governors. There were charity representatives, previous Prime Ministers, leaders of the opposition and of course the parliamentarians who currently debate in this place.

Senator Lidia Thorpe’s protest came after three similarly thoughtful and poignant speeches delivered in turn by the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition and King Charles himself. Despite being an avowed republican Anthony Albanese’s speech was especially warm.

“In 1966, you came to us as a fresh-faced student ready for an education that was never going to be contained within the walls of a classroom. Nearly six decades on, you have come to us in your new role, bearing the weight of the Crown and all that it entails….We know the institution is secure in your hands, and we know your commitment to peace and stability will act as your guide during the challenging times in which we find ourselves,” he said.

The fact that the King chose to open his heartfelt address honouring “the Ngunnawal people and all First Nations peoples who have loved and cared for this continent for sixty-five thousand years” praising the “traditional wisdom” which Australia’s First Nations peoples “have done me the great honour of sharing, so generously” shows he understands the issue.

Earlier the King and Queen had laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, paid their respects at the ‘For Our Country’ memorial to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders who fought for Australia and chatted to throngs of regular members of the public who couldn’t wait to meet them.

Here the King encountered another scene-stealer, but this one was more benign. Hephner the alpaca, well known in Canberra for his charity work, was cheekily wearing his own small crown. King Charles seemed surprised to be eye-level with the white nine-year-old animal. Hephner promptly sneezed on the sovereign, who immediately replied: “Bless you!”

Also in the crowd was royalist 94-year-old Evelyn Botha who as a school-girl had presented a bouquet of roses to Princess Margaret – the King’s aunt – during a visit to her homeland of Scotland. A few years later, Evelyn’s sister Olga gave a similar bouquet to the then Princess Elizabeth.

In the afternoon the Queen sat in on an important domestic violence round table. Campaigner Rosie Batty, award-winning author of See What You Made Me Do Jess Hill and Professor of Domestic and Family Violence University of Technology Sydney Dr Anne Summers, were among a powerful group of advocates, experts and survivors who joined Queen Camilla for a pertinent discussion about the epidemic of domestic violence currently gripping Australia.

It’s a subject that matters a great deal to the Queen who has worked to highlight organisations supporting victims of rape and sexual assault for more than a decade and was keen to hear about Australian programmes and connect with those working to combat domestic abuse.

The meeting was hosted in the dining room at Government House Canberra by the Governor-General, Her Excellency Sam Mostyn, and chaired by Ms Padma Raman, the Executive Director of the Office for Women.

“Your Majesty’s interest is very much appreciated,” said the Governor-General.

Muriel Bamblett, known as “Aunty Muriel”, the CEO of Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency, told Camilla: “Our women and children are dying at higher rates in Australia and this is Australia’s shame. The systemic racism and violence they suffer makes Australia not a safe space.”

While Tanya Hosch, the executive general manager inclusion and social policy of the Australian Football League, added: “We have a disproportionate number of Aboriginal women experiencing violence in the home and death. There’s a lot of work we need to do to make sure indigenous women are protected.”

Camilla then said: “Can I ask a question? Are these women prepared to come forward and speak about their abuse? Or do they keep it a secret because they’re ashamed? Are they able to come forward and talk?”

Listening to the assembled group it was clear we are at crisis point in Australia. This year in the period up to 19 September 2024, 47 women have been killed in domestic abuse incidents.

In the discussion Her Majesty heard from key sector experts as well as women with lived experience about the measures currently underway to try and end violence against women in Australia.

The day proceeded with several tree plantings, standard on royal visits, and the granting of the new Australian Great Seal by His Majesty, a brass seal the Governor-General uses on important papers that need royal assent.

Then His Majesty toured the CSIRO’s National Bushfire Behaviour Research Laboratory and learned about how quickly the fires could spread with a pyrotechnic demonstration.

The King and Queen reunited in Canberra’s stunning Botanic Gardens. The King walked down a path of rocky stairs into the rainforest gully and marvelled at plants from the diverse rainforests from Tasmania to Queensland. Charles initially strode off quickly before his wife called to him to slow down. Whether she can achieve that remains to be seen. For after a packed and eventful day in Canberra the couple have another full schedule ahead on their final day in Sydney which culminates at the Opera House.

King Charles and Queen Camilla were delighted to greet the hundreds of people who packed the grounds of St Thomas’ Anglican Church in North Sydney on their first public engagement of what is an historic royal visit.

I have accompanied the couple on all of their previous tours to Australia but this one feels very different. There is a poignancy which is already coming through even on this opening day of engagements, something the King expressed later in his first speech on this tour, which I’ll come to.

It’s almost 60 years since Charles first came to our shores as a slightly nervous teen finding his feet in the public glare of royal life. He studied at Timbertop at Geelong Grammar in Victoria intending to come for one term but staying on for two because he loved it so much. He looks back at that time with tremendous affection and no doubt then, could barely conceive that he would be here one day as King of Australia, although that was certainly his destiny.

The emotion of everything that has happened since he became monarch in 2022 was etched on His Majesty’s face today. Losing his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, the painful but celebratory funeral, his own coronation and then that traumatic cancer diagnosis following a prostate operation that has thwarted this early part of the Carolean reign. The King’s ongoing treatment for cancer has been paused for this tour with doctors carefully monitoring His Majesty’s progress. The King was eager to come back to Australia, but this visit is surely a courageous one considering his health issues.

Happily the King looked full of beans at the church this morning which was wonderful to witness. The King and Queen were greeted by warm weather and sympathetic smiling faces. Camilla wore a pale green Anna Valentine dress and straw hat by Lock & Co and was given a pretty bunch flowers by the church minister’s wife, Ellie Mantle, as she proceeded into the church.

As became quickly standard throughout the day, once inside, parishioners lifted their phones high taking precious photos of the royal couple while excited whispers echoed through the room. The Archbishop of Sydney Kanishka Raffel who had met the couple on their arrival at the church, said it was a “delight” and “a great pleasure and privilege,” to have the royal couple attend the local service.

Despite the important guests, Sunday’s service was restricted to the local congregation, with only a few special guests allowed to attend including Governor-General Sam Mostyn and the NSW Governor Margaret Beazley. The Bishop of North Sydney, The Right Reverend Christopher Edwards, delivered a prayer, asking for the protection of the King and Queen, along with a hope the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa would be prosperous. He also asked for world peace and an end to wars.

Sunday’s service was filled with history which would have delighted the King. Upon arrival he passed by the corner stone of the church that was unveiled in 1881 by his great-grandfather King George V. Charles and Camilla also signed two bibles which included one that belonged to Australia’s first minister, Richard Johnson, who was also the chaplin on the First Fleet.

After the service they were greeted by hundreds of cheering fans including two veterans, Shannon Lemanski and Louise Burr. Shannon and Louise have both completed The King’s Trust Australia programs, which help veterans set up businesses. “I was wearing my medals, and the King asked about those” said Louise who was thrilled to be able to meet the monarch. “Standard morning, go for a stroll in the park, shake the King’s hand, and then jump on a plane back to the coast!” joked Shannon who was also stoked.

Next stop for the King was the NSW Parliament where again crowds had amassed to watch His Majesty’s arrival. He was visiting to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the NSW Legislative Council. I was inside the reception and the room was packed. A rather fancy fanfare of police trumpeters played as His Majesty walked in and then he was introduced as the King of Australia with one eager guest cheering a lone “hooray”.

In his speech the King talked about his last time in this place to celebrate the NSW Legislative Council’s 150th anniversary. Now 50 years later he was here for its bicentenary. “Since I was here in 1974, and incidentally I first came to Oz nearly 60 years ago, which is slightly worrying — this place and the people within it — have continued to uphold strong representative traditions. To everyone who has been a part of this, I can only offer my warmest congratulations,” said the King.

He then presented Parliament with a rather clever gift drawing ripples of gentle laughter from the parliamentarians. “An hourglass — a speech timer — to sit in the chamber and bear witness to the Legislative Council’s next chapter.”

The King said. “With the sounds of time encouraging brevity 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.” As the King left everyone was on their feet clapping.

A warm and rather emotional welcome to Sydney for His Majesty.