King Charles shares 'great joy' at being back in Australia as he greets cheering crowds

20 October 2024, 07:32 | Updated: 20 October 2024, 07:41

King Charles has shared his "great joy" at being back in Australia as he greeted cheering crowds.

The King and Camilla met members of the public to kick off their first full day of their Australian tour.

The royals attended a church service in north Sydney before Charles went on to deliver a speech at the New South Wales parliament.

He joked about the passing "sands of time" after presenting an hourglass he dubbed a "speech timer" to an Australian assembly to mark the 200th anniversary of its upper house.

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The King, who attended commemorations marking the 150th anniversary of the Legislative Council in 1974, said in a speech to guests: "Democratic systems must evolve, of course, to remain fit for purpose, but they are, nevertheless, essentially sound systems, as I said in this building 50 years ago.

"When underpinned by wisdom and good faith, democracy has, I believe, an extraordinary capacity for innovation, compromise and adaptability, as well as stability.

"Moreover, strong parliamentary systems, like the one we celebrate on this special occasion, are fundamental to the democracies that serve today's diverse societies; and are even more vital, given the ever-changing natural, social, economic and technological environment."

Charles made the guests laugh with a quip about time: "With the sands 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."

The tour marks Charles' first major foreign trip since being diagnosed with cancer.

Before he and Camilla joined the churchgoers at St Thomas' Anglican Church, its Rector Michael Mantle made them laugh when he told them: "Jesus said you will not know the day nor the hour when the King will come."

When the couple first arrived they met some of the younger members of the congregation at the church door as a group of protesters could be heard shouting "not my King" but were drowned out by shouts of "hip hip hooray".

The Rector's wife, Ellie Mantle, had ushered the children out to meet the royals and brought a rugby ball, cricket ball and stuffed koala, gifts for the King's grandchildren Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

She said: "It's a great honour for us as it's the first opportunity for the public to see the King and Queen."

After the service the royal couple went outside the church to shake hands with the well-wishers, who numbered around two hundred people, with some waiting since 5am to catch a glimpse of the royals.