King Charles has kept a low profile as he balances cancer recovery with royal duties just eight months after receiving a life-changing diagnosis, and the trip to Australia is his first major foreign visit since being crowned.
King Charles III gave his first official public appearance on a Sunday morning at St Thomas’ Anglican Church in northern Sydney.The British monarch arrived in Sydney late on Friday evening for their 9-day Australia tour.
Later, Charles will address the New South Wales state parliament and visit the Admiralty House for a series of private meetings with top officials.
Royal watchers will have another opportunity to see the king on Monday when he arrives in Canberra with Queen Camilla for the busiest portion of his streamlined schedule.
In the past, visiting British royals would undertake extended tours, drawing large crowds of excited, flag-waving supporters. However, due to the king’s fragile health, much of the usual pomp and grandeur has been scaled back this time.
Aside from a community barbecue in Sydney and an event at the city’s iconic opera house, large public gatherings will be limited.
On Sunday, a small group of protesters gathered near a church, calling for Australia to “decolonise.”
While Australians are slightly in favour of maintaining the monarchy, the enthusiasm is far from what it was in 2011 when thousands turned out to see Charles’ mother, Queen Elizabeth II, wave to the crowds.