Queen Camilla has ditched her shoes and gone barefoot after a long day of meeting fans across Sydney.
Thousands of royal fans packed the Sydney Opera House forecourt on Tuesday to catch a glimpse of King Charles and Queen Camilla.
The royal couple descended from the iconic building’s steps, with arms waving at the adoring crowd, who were heard yelling ‘welcome to Australia’.
Queen Camilla was seen holding on to the King’s arm for support as she walked down the steps and towards the massive crowd.
At one point, King Charles mouthed ‘magnificent’ to the Queen while he clapped to a school performance on the steps of the Opera House.
To finish their six-day trip to Australia, the pair observed Operation Regal – a military display by the Australian Defence Force around Sydney’s iconic Harbour.
Their Majesties conducted a Navy fleet review before boarding the Admiral Hudson vessel from the Man O’War Steps.
Camilla’s choice of footwear seemed to get the better of her, with the Queen showing signs she was struggling with the comfort of her heels.
Queen Camilla was spotted walking barefoot as she returned to Admiralty House with the King
She was spotted barefoot as she climbed the steps from the wharf with one hand on the rail and the other holding her heels, bag and coat
During the Fleet Review, she was spotted leaning on the side of the boat for support, as King Charles gazed down at her feet with a look of concern.
After spending a long day trotting around Sydney, her majesty ditched her heels as she returned to Admiralty House with the King.
She was spotted barefoot as she climbed the steps from the wharf with one hand on the rail and the other holding her heels, bag and coat.
Despite her aching and tired feet, she told one well-wisher she and the King were enjoying Australia’s sunshine, claiming ‘I wish we were staying longer’.
Earlier in the day, the King and Queen were invited to help with a traditional Australian barbecue hosted by NSW Premier Chris Minns and his wife Anna.
The royal couple attended the community barbecue at Parramatta Park and were encouraged to use tongs ‘the Aussie way’ as they cooked sausages.
Scott McCoy, 42, manager of Black Bear BBQ restaurant in Sydney and better known by the nickname ‘Chop’, said it was ‘an honour’ to have some royal helpers.
Chop said: ‘I’m still shaking. It was great.’
The King and Queen declined a chance to taste any of the sausages, which included lamb, beef, pork and vegetarian variations.
Chop said the Queen was instructed to use the tongs ‘the Aussie way’ to turn the ‘snags’ (sausages) by clicking them twice before she used them.
Chop said that the King and Queen thought the sausages were ‘amazing’ and that they ‘could tell they were great without trying them’.
The barbecue followed the Queen’s visit to Refettorio OzHarvest in Surry Hills- an Australian-first social impact collaboration which helps individuals struggling with food insecurity.
Camilla’s choice of footwear seemed to get the better of her, with the Queen leaning on the side of a boat for support during the Fleet Review
Earlier, Camilla gripped the King’s arm for support as the pair walked down the steps of the Sydney Opera House
She then went on to meet passionate young readers and leading authors at the Green Square Library in Sydney.
Camilla, a long-term advocate for literacy and reading, attended the event to celebrate and promote the role of writing and literacy for young Australians.
She met past participants of the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition and Australian authors in the award-winning underground library beneath Green Square Plaza which opened in 2018.
Camilla was joined by the Deputy Premier of New South Wales, Prudence Car, and met representatives from the NSW Government Department of Education, the Royal Commonwealth Society and the Aboriginal Education Consultative Group.
Meanwhile chants of ‘You’re on stolen land’ and ‘No pride in genocide’ from bystanders greeted King Charles when he met with elders at the National Centre for Indigenous Excellence in Redfern ahead of the BBQ.
Senator Lidia Thorpe, 51, launched a foul-mouthed tirade at the King during his visit to Parliament House
The protest by a small group of people outside the centre came after Senator Lidia Thorpe told the King at a reception in Canberra on Monday ‘You are not our king’.
The outburst, which sparked international headlines, prompted coalition calls for the Victorian senator to resign.
The couple left Admiralty House at Kirribilli on Wednesday morning.
They are expected to board a RAAF flight bound for Samoa, which is hosting the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
The biennial meeting, brings together 56 countries under the Head of the Commonwealth, which is now King Charles III following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II.
The gathering is expected to discuss climate change, the impact of colonialism and reparations.
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