Aussies chat with King Charles on first day of royal tour
Hundreds of Aussies have lined up for a hours to catch a glimpse of King Charles and Queen Camilla on the first day of their royal tour of Australia, with some royal fans getting the chance to have a brief moment with the monarch.
In their first public appearance of the royal couple’s five-day tour Down Under, Charles and Camilla attended a church service at St Thomas Anglican Church on Sunday morning in North Sydney as hundreds of fans waited to see the royals.
After the service, Charles and Camilla made an unexpected stop to talk fans who had congregated on the street.
Royalist Mary-Anne Spring said the monarch made the stop after a boy “yelled out” asking him to come over to the group, as Ms Spring shared that she spoke to the King about his health.
“I welcomed them to Sydney and I wished the King all the very best in his cancer treatment. He said thank you very much I really appreciate it,” she told news.com.au.
“I think it’s good to support them and the work they do.”
Another royal fan, Malcolm Lemirae, managed to gift the Queen a bunch of red roses.
“They accepted the flowers and Camilla asked if I grew them and I said I grew them in my garden,” he said. "I think she was thrilled about that. It’s just a little symbol of my gratitude for them coming out. The guy's got cancer. To come out here and do that trip, it’s a long, long trip.”
Julianne McCartney, who is originally from the UK, also had her own moment with the King, recalling her previous encounter with the royal family.
She said, “He told me he really appreciated the crowd. He noticed my British accent and asked if I was from the UK, I said I had met his mother before and I think he thought that was quite nice actually.”
On Monday, King Charles and Queen Camilla will head to Canberra for a reception with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, along with other political and community leaders.
Image credits: DEAN LEWINS/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Editorial