King Charles and Queen Camilla arrived in Australia to a stunning slideshow on the Sydney Opera House as they began the first visit to the country since His Majesty’s accession. It’s an historic first but another royal debut in Australia had a very different beginning.
The Royal Family’s first ever trip to the country, in 1867, started with tragedy and the drama continued, culminating in an an attack on the royal visitor themselves.
Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, was the first member of the Royal Family to officially visit Australia. The second son and fourth child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, Prince Alfred served in the Royal Navy and travelled widely.
The Duke first arrived in South Australia on 31 October 1867. However, tragedy struck when one of his crew members drowned at Glenelg.Â
Prince Alfred then sailed to Melbourne where he arrived on 25 November. The welcome ceremony drew several thousands of people, with both Catholics and Protestants attending. An anti-Catholic banner was put up on a building, Catholic crowds gathered around to protest, and a Catholic boy was shot. A religious riot broke out.Â
More rioting started a couple of days later when Prince Alfred cancelled his appearance due to safety concerns.Â
A wooden model of his ship, the HMS Galatea, was built as the centrepiece of a fireworks display. Some boys ended up climbing onto the model to light the fireworks display. Tragedy struck when the fireworks went off quickly and the boys were burned to death.Â
In March 1868, Prince Alfred was attending a party held in his honour when he was shot at, with the bullet hitting his back. He needed several weeks of intense medical treatment before he was able to resume his duties and eventually return to England.
Despite the drama, this royal visit made a lasting impact and several well known buildings throughout Australia are still named in honour of Prince Alfred today.
