King Charles’ poignant act during royal visit to Australia

The King undertook his first major ceremonial duty – and an impromptu royal walk – in Australia today when he visited the New South Wales Legislative Council to mark its bicentenary.

The passage of time was clearly on the king’s mind as he remarked on the “somewhat disturbing” fact that he first came to the country almost sixty years ago.

Looking better despite the long journey Down Under, he also seemed delighted to be presented with an hourglass as a gift to mark the occasion, and spoke of his joy at returning as king after last entering Parliament House in 1974 of NSW, and said: ‘Now that the sands of time encourage brevity, it only remains for me to say what a great joy it is to come to Australia for the first time as sovereign and to share the love for this country and its people renew that I have so cherished. long.

“So, thank you, thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for making me feel so welcome.”

He then asked the Chairman of the Legislative Council, the Honorable Ben Franklin, if he could spin the hourglass for good luck.

Charles, 75, who was not accompanied by the Queen, was greeted by a line of dignitaries at the Houses of Parliament.

Outside was a crowd of hundreds of people congratulating them – quite a large gathering as the engagement had not been announced in advance.

Inside, he was shown a large artwork by artist Kim Healey, the first by an Indigenous artist to be displayed in the building.

“Is it actually painted?” he asked, marveling at the brushstrokes of the striking piece.

At a reception and luncheon for state representatives in the Strangers’ Dining Room, the king was introduced with fanfare and walked in a ceremonial procession on a red carpet as people reached out to catch a glimpse or take a photo of him .

In a short speech from the podium, the King said: “Having been with you for your 150th birthday, I am delighted – and proud – to return to the Parliament of New South Wales to mark the occasion of your bicentenary .

“I will say more at a reception in Canberra tomorrow, but I cannot let this opportunity pass without saying a few words to mark this most important milestone.

‘It’s fascinating, I think, to look back to 200 years ago. When you think back to that time, you wonder what that first handful of members of the New South Wales Legislative Council would think of this parliament today and the progress this great state has made.”

He concluded: ‘Since I was here in 1974, and incidentally first came to Oz almost sixty hours ago, it has been somewhat worrying: this place and the people within it have continued to uphold strong representative traditions.

‘I can only offer my warmest congratulations to everyone who contributed to this.

And in the spirit of marking the passage of time, it gives me great pleasure to present a small gift to Parliament.

“It is essentially an hourglass – a speaking timer – to sit in the chamber and witness the next chapter of the Legislative Council. ‘

He then met high-ranking legislative officials, the indigenous artist whose work he had admired, and the winner of a regional public speaking competition.

As he left the building, the king suddenly crossed the road to the cheers of the people waiting for him.

Many happened to be there and complained loudly about the lack of publicity surrounding the event, as well as many other upcoming engagements.

One, Robert, a fan of the Mail’s Palace Confidential programme, said: ‘We are not a nation of republicans, we love the monarchy and are thrilled they are here. She [local officials] They have been very secretive about what they do and most people are here by chance. The people will come out and greet them warmly, if they let them.”

As the king walked up and down the crowd shaking his hand, he was greeted with refrains such as “welcome back,” “nice to see you,” and “thank you for coming.”

“It’s great to be here,” he said. “I’m so happy to be back.”

Gerald and Christine Fletcher, from Jersey, who are on holiday in Australia, also happened upon the engagement.

Mr Fletcher said to the king: ‘Welcome back. We come from Great Britain, all the way here to see you. Glad you’re coming. ‘

“I am so happy to be here,” said the king.

“Did you come on one of those big cruise ships?

‘No, we came with a big plane!’ Mr. Fletcher joked.

“It’s really nice to see you, well done.”

He then explained: ‘Ironically we missed them when they came to Jersey recently so it’s great to see them all the way here. We happened to be walking by and saw some commotion and asked the policeman if the king was here. He said, ‘You’re lucky, he’s about to come out.’ ‘

Mrs Fletcher added: ‘What a wonderful moment to talk to him. He looked good. Good for him for coming here with everything that happened to him. ‘