Crowds greet King and Queen on first public day of Australian tour

The King and Queen chatted with cheering fans, some singing “God Save the King”, outside the church for their Sunday service

The King and Queen met large, cheering crowds in Sydney after attending a church service on Sunday, the first event of their Australian tour.
They were greeted at St Thomas’ Anglican Church in North Sydney by the archbishop of Sydney, Kanishka Raffel, and children from the church’s Sunday school who waved Australian flags. The church is near were they are staying at harbourside Admiralty House, the Governor-General’s official Sydney residence.
The Queen, wearing a pale green Anna Valentine dress and straw hat, was given a flower bouquet by the minister’s wife, Ellie Mantle, who asked if they had recovered from jet lag after the long flight to Australia on Friday. “Sort of,” Queen Camilla replied.
Inside the church, King Charles and Queen Camilla signed two bibles, including one that belonged to Australia’s first minister and chaplain of the First Fleet of ships that took convicts from Britain to the penal colony of Australia in 1788
Outside the church, they shook hands and chatted with families and cheering fans, some singing “God Save the King”, who lined the streets around the church, the public’s first opportunity to meet the King and Queen since they arrived in Australia’s biggest city on Friday night.
Travelling across Sydney Harbour,  the King later visited the New South Wales parliament, marking the 200th anniversary of Australia’s oldest legislature in the form of the Legislative Council, the upper chamber.
The King presented members of parliament with an hour glass to time their speeches, and highlighted the fundamental role of strong parliaments to democracy.
“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,” he said.
The King is making his inaugural visit to an overseas realm as sovereign and his first major foreign trip since being diagnosed with cancer.
He will attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa after the six-day Australia tour.
The King had made a significant personal donation to create a skills programme to tackle climate change and boost higher education in small island states, including the Pacific Islands, the Association of Commonwealth Universities said on Sunday.
“Throughout my life I have believed in the power of education to improve lives and unite communities across the Commonwealth and beyond,” he said in a statement.
Mid-career professionals and civil servants will benefit from the fellowships, in a programme that aims to retain talent in small island states and bolster resilience to the impacts of climate change such as rising sea levels, Reuters reported.