King Charles and Queen Camilla’s arrival in Australia for their six-day royal tour was met with both warm welcomes and protests. Hundreds of royal fans lined the streets in Sydney on Sunday, waving flags as the royal couple made their way to the New South Wales Parliament. However, they were also greeted by demonstrators holding signs calling for decolonization and Indigenous rights.
During his speech at the NSW Parliament, King Charles humorously reflected on “the passage of time,” gifting the chamber an hourglass to mark its bicentenary. “It is my great pleasure to present a small gift to the Parliament… an hourglass, a speech timer, to sit in the chamber and bear witness to the Legislative Council’s next chapter,” the King said. He also expressed his joy in visiting Australia for the first time as Sovereign, saying, “Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for making me feel so very welcome.”
Earlier in the day, the King and Queen attended a service at St Thomas’ Anglican Church in North Sydney. Despite the royalists’ enthusiasm, a small group of protesters, including pro-Palestinian activists and Indigenous rights advocates, gathered near the church with banners reading “decolonise” and “empire built on genocide.” Chants of “Aboriginal land, always was, always will be” could be heard, alongside verbal exchanges between the demonstrators and royal supporters.
This marks King Charles’ 17th visit to Australia since his first trip in 1966. The royal couple’s tour will continue in Sydney and Canberra until October 23.
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