King Charles begins his tour of Australia with a church service

King Charles and Queen Camilla They joined a church group in Sydney for Sunday Mass on the first day of their engagement during their tour of Australia.

It is the King’s first visit to Australia since he became head of state in September 2022 and is the largest trip by a monarch Since starting cancer treatment in February.

Their six-day visit to the Commonwealth nation will include meeting political and community leaders, as well as celebrating the nation’s people, culture and heritage.

They were joined by members of St Thomas’ Anglican Church in North Sydney at the service, which was presided over by the city’s Archbishop, the Most Reverend Kanishka Ravel.

The royal couple met with some well-wishers after a crowd of a few hundred people – many of whom had been queuing since early morning – were allowed into the church area to speak to the royal couple after the service.

For most people, it was a cursory greeting and a chance to deliver flowers or take a photo.

Lynn Tarbuck attended with her husband Bob, a Republican, and two of her King Charles Spaniards. “I think the forces are united – if we have a problem in Australia they will help us,” she said of the monarchy. “We are a very big country but a small population, so the more help we get the better.”

Roslyn Dorey, who saw the Queen during her visit to Australia in 1980, said she was “very emotional” after receiving a “strong handshake” from the King.

Sandra Hall and her husband, Peter, were also on hand to greet the royal couple. “I shook Camilla’s hand first and welcomed her to Sydney, and then Charles came over. I said, ‘Look, it’s a beautiful sunny day,’ and he said, ‘It’s always sunny in Sydney,'” Ms Hall said.

Outside the church, there was a small but vocal group of about 20 protesters “Not ours,” he shouted.

They carried banners, one of which read: “Decolonization,” and waved indigenous and Palestinian flags.

“I’m accusing you, I’m accusing the king…of committing crimes against the sovereign states of this country…of committing war crimes against our people,” shouted Wayne Wharton, a Kuma Aboriginal protester from Brisbane.

“I do not recognize the illegal occupation of this country,” he said.

He started using the loudspeaker but the police told him to put it down or face a fine.

Also on Sunday, the King presented the New South Wales Parliament with an hourglass to mark the senate’s bicentenary.

He also gave a speech to the guests in which he spoke of his “great joy” in visiting Australia for the first time as a monarch “and to renew my love for this country and its people, which I have cherished for a long time.”

On Saturday, a day of rest for the couple, a photo was published of the King and Queen Camilla showing members of the royal family after their arrival on Friday at Admiralty House, the official residence of the Australian Governor-General, who represents the monarch in the country.

The couple were said to have been moved when the Sydney Opera House, which can be viewed from the Admiralty House, was lit up by a renewed display of their images.

The King’s journey was marked by his appointment to the honorary ranks of Fleet Admiral, Field Marshal and Field Marshal in the three services of the Australian Defense Force.

Elsewhere, the Association of Commonwealth Universities, which is patronized by the King, announced the launch of the King’s Commonwealth Fellowship programme.

It was developed in response to pressing economic, social and environmental challenges affecting small island developing States.

“There is much we can learn from each other as we work together within the Commonwealth to address the major challenges of our time and, as these fellowships do in small island developing states, to address them where they are most acutely felt.” The king said.

While in the Commonwealth country, the King’s visit will include support for environmental projects and a marine review of Sydney Harbour.

The 75-year-old king is also expected to meet Australian scientists Georgina Long and Richard Scolier, who have conducted pioneering research in this field. melanoma – One of the most common types of cancer in the country.

There will be a reception in the capital on Monday to welcome King Charles, but the premiers of the six states – New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania – They said they were unable to attend.

A post on the Royal Family X account said that the trip would include the King delivering a speech before the Australian Parliament in the capital, Canberra.

The king’s cancer treatment was suspended while he was in Australia and during the next leg of the trip in Samoa, where he will attend a Commonwealth leaders’ summit.

Royal tour schedules do not include evening engagements, formal dinners, or late-day excursions.

“Ahead of our first visit to Australia as King and Queen, we are really looking forward to returning to this beautiful country to celebrate the very rich cultures and communities that make it so special,” a message on the royal family’s social media account said. “