King Charles and Queen Camilla to begin tour of Australia with Sunday church service
King Charles and Queen Camilla’s six-day tour of Australia will begin with a church service on Sunday, as part of their first visit to the Commonwealth nation since being crowned.
Sydney Opera House was lit up with a projection of images of the royal couple as they touched down on Friday evening for a tour intended to celebrate Australia’s people, culture and heritage
The 75-year-old King was appointed Australia’s admiral of the navy, field marshal of the army and marshal of the air force shortly after arriving in Sydney, in his first major foreign trip since being diagnosed with cancer.
With no official events scheduled for Saturday, the couple were seen by local media walking around Admiralty House, the historic building on the foreshore of Sydney harbour which serves as the official residence of Australia’s governor-general.
They will join members of St Thomas’ Anglican Church in north Sydney for a service officiated by the Archbishop of Sydney, the Most Reverend Kanishka Raffel.
Crowds have been told by the New South Wales government where to gather to see the royal couple after the service, and it is likely the King and Queen will meet some of the well-wishers.
Australia’s governor-general Sam Mostyn, the Australian Defence Force’s commander-in-chief, said the honorary military appointments awarded to Charles were an important symbol of connection, stability and strength.
Admiral David Johnston, chief of the defence force, said the King’s honorary ranks reflected Australia’s close relationship with reigning monarchs: “The sovereign serves as an example of service, and His Majesty’s appointments are symbolic of the royal family’s longstanding dedication and relationship with the nation.
“Since the Australian Federation in 1901, Australia’s military forces have been custodians of great traditions connected to the Commonwealth, and 123 years later the Australian Defence Force is proud to continue this legacy.”
The Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) has announced the launch of a King’s Commonwealth Fellowship Programme intended to create opportunity and to tackle contemporary challenges, including climate change and inequality.
The programme has been developed in response to urgent economic, social and environmental development challenges affecting small island developing states, of which there are 25 in the Commonwealth, including the Pacific nations of Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
The King said: “I am delighted to support this important new initiative. Throughout my life, I have believed in the power of education to improve lives and unite communities across the Commonwealth and beyond.
“There is so much we can learn from one another as we work together within the Commonwealth to tackle the major challenges of our age and, as these fellowships do in small island developing states, to address them where they are felt most acutely.
“It is my fervent hope that these new fellowships will play a significant role in furthering the free exchange of knowledge and advancing the spirit of mutual support that lies at the heart of our Commonwealth – today, tomorrow and towards a brighter future for all.”
The new programme will offer fellowships for mid-career professionals, undergraduate scholarships, and PhDs with activities taking place in-country, with an emphasis on local impact and retaining skills and talent in Sids regions.
The programme aims to strengthen climate resilience, build capacity in education, health and engineering, and develop resilient public services and the skills of those who support them.
Additional reporting by PA