The King and Queen beamed in the bright sunshine as they arrived for a church service on their first full day of engagements in Australia.
The royal couple, who enjoyed a down day yesterday after their gruelling flight, were met with loud cheers from the hundreds of well-wishers gathered as they arrived at St Thomas’ Anglican Church in North Sydney on Sunday morning.
However the King alluded to his inevitable jet-lag as he signed a Bible marking the occasion, joking: ‘What day is it again?’ and chuckling, before moving on to sign the prayer book.
Outside the church a small group of anti-monarchy protestors gathered outside under a large ‘decolonise’ banner around 100 metres away but they failed to spoil the joyful mood.
They used a megaphone to shout their support for indigenous rights and waved Palestinian and Lebanon flags.
A handful of locals shouted ‘get lost’ and ‘get a life’ in frustration as they walked past, while one man told them: ‘Be thankful you live in a free society where you can argue across the street.’
Fans waiting inside the church grounds to shake hands with the King and Queen described the ongoing republican debate as a ‘bore’.
After the King and Queen arrived, the protestors were drowned out by shouts of ‘hip hip hooray’ and blocked from sight by hundreds of camera phones held aloft.
The King and Queen beamed in the bright sunshine as they arrived for a church service on their first full day of engagements in Australia
The royal couple, who enjoyed a down day yesterday after their gruelling flight, were met with loud cheers from the hundreds of well-wishers gathered as they arrived at St Thomas’ Anglican Church in North Sydney on Sunday morning
Members of the public held signs saying ‘Welcome home Your Majesties’.
Charles, 75, and Camilla, 77, spoke to primary school-aged children from the Thomas’ Sunday school group who were brimming with enthusiasm to meet Their Majesties’.
‘Are they here?’ one boy shouted excitedly.
Afterwards one delightedly shouted ‘I touched the King!’ and ‘I’m famous’. ‘It was so good, he was so kind,’ said one little girl.
Camilla, wearing a pale green Anna Valentine dress and straw hat, was gifted a posy before they were received by the Archbishop of Sydney, the Most Reverend Kanishka Raffel and the Bishop of North Sydney, Right Reverend Chris Edwards.
Inside, the Archbishop highlighted St Thomas’ royal history before the Reverend Michael Mantle, Rector of the Parish of North Sydney.
Starting by welcoming the royal guests, he said: ‘It is an enormous honour for us to welcome you to our church this morning.’
The theme of the service was ‘The Good News About Jesus’ and featured hymns Rejoice the Lord is King, Tell Out, My Soul and Love Divine, All Loves Excelling.
Throughout the service, a lone flute could be heard from outside playing ‘God Save the King’.
Speaking afterwards professional flutist Minah Kim said she only learnt the piece this morning while standing on the lawn outside St Thomas’.
At the conclusion of the hour-long service, the King and Queen were wished safe travels for the rest of their trip before they made their way to the front where they signed Australia’s first Bible and a book of common prayer.
Aussies formed a crowd outside the church to greet King Charles and Queen Camilla on Sunday
Members of the public held signs saying ‘Welcome home Your Majesties’
Every member of the Royal Family has signed the Bible, which belonged to Rev Richard Johnson, the first Christian Minister in Australia, on previous royal visits.
The late Queen Elizabeth signed it in 1954 during the first visit of a reigning monarch to these shores, with the Archbishop saying the Bible ‘represents a significant history of this church and nation’.
Stepping outside to loud cheers from the hundreds gathered on the lawn opposite the church, the King waved before walking over to speak to members of the public.
Some wellwishers said they had begun queuing at 5am to get a prime spot to see the couple, with others in the crowd flying in from other parts of Australia especially.
Charles said to one person: ‘It’s a beautiful day’ as several others shouted: ‘We love you.’
One person said to the Queen ‘Hello, I hope your jet leg is getting better’ before the pair spoke about the perils of long-haul travel.
‘We have it the same when we come to the UK,’ Helen Hetrelezis told Camilla.
The wellwisher had arrived at the church at 7:45 am with her brothers to try and catch a glimpse of Their Majesties.
‘We spoke about her visit, I asked the queen about her stay, and she said she was enjoying Sydney very much,’ Hetrelezis said.
Theynspent 15 minutes meeting the hundreds of members of the public gathered to welcome Their Majesties, and even asked their security if they could walk over to the crowds gathered opposite the church before they left.
Benjamin was delighted to meet the King, saying it was ‘a once in a lifetime opportunity, I feel grateful for having to meet him.’
He added: ‘The King walked past and I shook his hand and he asked me where I lived and I told him Kirribilli. He said what a nice suburb.’
As they moved along the crowds, spontaneous rounds of three cheers erupted from the crowds and people continued to whoop and cheer.
Abigail Smith, 10, in her Scouts uniform, gave the King a special present.
She said: ‘I drew a picture of a kangaroo and gave it to him.
King Charles and Queen Camilla spoke to members of the Sunday school otuside the church
His Majesty was joined by Queen Camilla during the service at St Thomas’s Anglican Church in North Sydney
‘He said ‘you are very kind’.
‘I did it because the kangaroo is an Australian animal.
‘I think he liked it.’
Dozens of well-wishes handed gifts to Their Majesties, including Tunnock’s Tea Cakes, Kangaroo jerky and bouquets of flowers.
The Queen has requested all of the flowers be taken to Admiralty House, where they are staying while in Sydney.
Ms Usher, who was stood next to the flutist, said excitedly: ‘I shook his hand.
‘I’m absolutely thrilled that he is here in our neck of the woods.
‘He looks in great health.’
Valerie Malinowski, who is 75, joked that she had had ‘a crush’ on Charles since they were both 15, but had never met him before.
‘We want to make him feel welcome,’ she said. ‘There’s a lot of negativity sometimes, but he is very very welcome and very loved.’
Also in the crowd were Sinclair and Wendy Hill, old friends of the King who have hosted him at their home in Australia.
Mr Hill, who is described as Australia’s greatest ever polo player, was asked by Prince Philip to teach the young Charles, and has kept up a warm friendship ever since.
Mrs Hill, whom the King greeted with a kiss on each cheek, said afterwards: ‘He is a lovely man and the fact that he has not been well and still came… The effort he puts in to talk to all these people. I thought he looked terrific.’
Speaking afterwards the Archbishop said: ‘It’s been a great pleasure and privilege to have their majesties with us here at St Thomas’, North Sydney.
‘This church has a family connection with His Majesty because his great grandfather as a teenage boy laid the cornerstone.’
He added: ‘It was lovely for this local church to be able to welcome the sovereign King Charles and Queen Camilla to join us in worship today we are absolutely thrilled.
‘There has been a great feel.
‘People are very happy to see them and they received a very generous, warm welcome.
‘And Their Majesties were also very generous in greeting lots of people soon after their jet lag.’
The church presented the royal visitors with gifts including a rugby ball, cricket ball and toy koala for them to take home for Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
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