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British Royals

King Charles and Queen Camilla take over Sydney Opera House as historic tour gets under way

The King and Queen touched down in Sydney to begin an historic tour and there was no getting away from the royal visitors as their plane arrived.

While King Charles III and Queen Camilla were greeted by rain and fierce winds as they disembarked, people in central Sydney were greeted by the Monarch and his consort in giant form on one of the city’s most famous landmarks.

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The Sydney Opera House showed images of The King and Queen across its famous facade to mark a moment of history several centuries in the making.

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For while Charles III isn’t the first King of Australia, he is the first to visit while reigning. His mother, Queen Elizabeth II, was the first ruling Monarch to tour the realm and now her son takes his own place in the history books.

It’s also the first visit by King Charles to a Commonwealth realm since he ascended the throne in September 2022.

The tour also takes King Charles and Queen Camilla to Samoa. It is there that The King will attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting and attain another first – it will be his debut at such a gathering as Head of the Commonwealth.

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King Charles and Queen Camilla will take a day’s rest before their full agenda in Australia gets under way. The visit is being undertaken with full medical support from The King’s doctors who have agreed to pausing the cancer treatment His Majesty is undergoing for the duration of the trip.

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The visit to Australia hasn’t been without controversy. Just before Their Majesties arrived, it was confirmed that none of the State premiers of the country would be present at an official reception held in honour of The King and Queen in Canberra.

However, the couple received a warm welcome on arrival and, despite the wet weather, people gathered to take their own photos of the picture show projected on the Sydney Opera House.

About author

Lydia Starbuck is Jubilee and Associate Editor at Royal Central and the main producer and presenter of the Royal Central Podcast and Royal Central Extra. Lydia is also a pen name of June Woolerton who is a journalist and writer with over twenty years experience in TV, radio, print and online. Her latest book, A History of British Royal Jubilees, is out now. Her new book, The Mysterious Death of Katherine Parr, will be published in March 2024. June is an award winning reporter, producer and editor. She's appeared on outlets including BBC 5 Live, BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Local Radio and has also helped set up a commercial radio station. June is also an accomplished writer with a wide range of material published online and in print. She is the author of two novels, published as e-books. She is also a marriage registrar and ceremony celebrant.