Queen Elizabeth II has been lauded for transcending barriers while maintaining a special bond with Australia, in a touching tribute by Anthony Albanese.
The late monarch was a unifying force throughout her 70-year reign, the prime minister said in an address at an Australia House Commemorative Luncheon in London on Saturday (AEST).
“Even as history continued to shape us, and the bond between our two nations evolved, the affection and respect in which we held Her Majesty remained – unchanged, undiminished,” he said.
“The Queen transcended barriers. You could be a republican, and still feel nothing but regard for her.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his girlfriend Jodie Haydon signed the book of condolences at Lancaster House
During a visit to Australia in 2000, months after Australia held a republic referendum, the Queen expressed her deep connection to the nation.
The revered monarch said she “felt part of this rugged, honest, creative land” and has “shared in the joys and the sorrows, the challenges and the changes that have shaped this country’s history”.
Mr Albanese recalled the Queen’s 16 visits to Australia, including a day at the races with former prime minister Bob Hawke in 1988, which he described as “one of the most Australian experiences of all”.
He also hailed the monarch’s loyalty and unwavering commitment to royal life.
“She celebrated our good times, and stood with us in our times of trial, bringing sympathy and comfort when it was so badly needed,” Mr Albanese said.
The PM will meet King Charles III and new UK Prime Minister Liz Truss during his stay in London, cementing Australia’s important links with Great Britain.
The prime minister, Governor-General David Hurley and their partners have arrived in the British capital for a series of events commemorating the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Soon after touching down, Mr Albanese and partner Jodie Haydon laid a floral tribute, a small bouquet of white flowers, at Green Park in Westminster.
‘It’s a great honour to be representing Australia here,’ he said.
Anthony Albanese will meet King Charles III and new UK Prime Minister Liz Truss during his stay in London, cementing Australia’s important links with Great Britain
‘Quite clearly, what we can see all around us is the affection in which Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth was held by people here in the United Kingdom but also of course in Australia and right around the Commonwealth.’
The PM arrived in London with his girlfriend and a party of 10 ‘everyday Aussies’ including current Australian of the Year Dylan Alcott, who have also been invited to the funeral.
Mr Albanese said his visit was about ‘commemorating a life well-lived’.
He went straight to Green Park early on Saturday to lay his wreath among the thousands of bouquets which have been building throughout the city since the Queen’s death was announced on the evening of September 8.
‘Paying our respects to Her Majesty,’ Mr Albanese said as he shared a photo at Green Park alongside Ms Haydon. ‘May she rest in eternal peace.’
‘What an honour it is to represent Australia at the Queen’s State Funeral Service. Later this morning I will meet with UK Prime Minister Liz Truss to extend our nation’s condolences.’
PM Anthony Albanese arrived in London with girlfriend Jodie Haydon and a party of 10 ‘everyday Aussies’ (pictured) including Dylan Alcott, who have also been invited to the funeral
Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese also revealed on Sunday that he’d arrived and went straight to London’s Green Park early on Sunday to lay a wreath among the thousands of bouquets (pictured with his partner, Jodie Haydon)
He will view the Queen’s coffin in Westminster Hall and signed the official condolence book at Lancaster House before a brief audience with King Charles at Buckingham Palace.
Downing Street has framed Anthony Albanese’s impending conversation with the new Tory PM Liz Truss (pictured) as a chat rather than formal bilateral talks
The King will also host the prime minister, heads of state and international VIPs at an official function over the weekend.
Australian Monarchist League chairman Philip Benwell said Charles has always kept a special place in his heart for Australia, particularly after spending time in regional Victoria in the 1970s.
‘King Charles has committed himself to following in the footsteps of his late mother and to likewise dedicate himself to the service of his people,’ he told AAP.
‘He will always make time to meet with his Australian prime minister, and the gathering for the funeral of the late Queen offers an opportunity for this.’
Downing Street has framed Mr Albanese’s impending conversation with the new Tory PM as a chat rather than formal bilateral talks.
It says the get-together, at Chevening rather than the prime minister’s official country residence Chequers, will be an opportunity for condolences over the Queen’s death, with politics likely to come up.
While there has been no word from Mr Albanese’s office on the nature of the discussions with Ms Truss, trade arrangements are the most likely topic
Ms Truss will also meet on Saturday with New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern, while Mr Albanese is scheduled to have talks with his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau.
Leaked Government documents revealed plans for world leaders to travel en masse in a bus to Westminster Abbey for Monday’s 8pm (AEST) service, rather that using private cars.
Anthony Albanese will view the Queen’s coffin in Westminster Hall and sign the official condolence book at Lancaster House before a brief audience with King Charles (pictured) at Buckingham Palace.
Members of the public file past the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped in the Royal Standard with the Imperial State Crown and the Sovereign’s orb and sceptre, lying in state on the catafalque in Westminster Hall, at the Palace of Westminster
British and US officials have since played down the prospect of US President Joe Biden having to travel on a bus into central London. Japaense Emperor Naruhito is expected to be among those travelling to the funeral on the shuttle.
According to Politico, the 62-year-old and other visiting royals will be bussed to the service under strict Foreign Office guidance.
The website reported Belgium’s King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, Spain’s King Felipe and Queen Letizia, Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia and the Netherlands’ King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima would also be put on a shuttle bus.
Some embassies have reportedly made as-yet unsuccessful efforts to request exceptions to the Foreign Office guidance.
A Number 10 spokeswoman refused to comment on the arrangements for individual dignitaries but accepted they will ‘differ depending on the needs of the different leaders’.
New Zealand’s prime minister Jacinda Ardern was one of the first world leaders to pay her respects in London on Friday, while the prime minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina touched down on Thursday afternoon.
President Biden and First Lady Jill will be able to take the armoured Beast to the Queen’s funeral next week while other world leaders will be asked to take the shared bus, as is standard protocol
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office officials reportedly sent 1,000 handwritten invitations – for both the reception and Monday’s funeral – to heads of state to almost every country in the world bar Syria, Venezuela, Afghanistan, Russia, Belarus and Myanmar.
Mr Biden is expected to arrive this evening and French president Emmanuel Macron, German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Italian president Sergio Matarella and Canada’s Justin Trudeau are among other notable attendees.
The US presidential plane, known as Air Force One, tends to land at Stansted Airport on visits to Britain in order to avoid disruption at Heathrow.
It’s highly unlikely the president will be on board the shuttle bus with other dignitaries. Instead, he will likely travel by his armoured vehicle dubbed ‘The Beast’ while he’s in the capital.
The custom-built Cadillac is said to have eight-inch thick doors, run-flat tires, bulletproof glass, its own oxygen supply, a couple of pints of the president’s blood and a completely sealed interior to ward off a chemical attack.
It is estimated to weigh between seven and nine tonnes.
Biden’s motorcade The Beast crosses a bridge on the way to his summit with Putin in Geneva. It is believed it will make an appearance in London this weekend as the leader of the free world arrives for the Queen’s funeral
Floral Tributes are left at Green Park next to Buckingham Palace for Queen Elizabeth II before her funeral preparations get underway
Mourners form a massive queue near Tower Bridge this morning as they wait to see the Queen lying-in-state
Mourners queueing at Tower Bridge in central London this morning as they wait to pay their respects to the Queen
Several hundred dignitaries from around the world will be in London to pay their respects to the Queen, in what is set to be one of the biggest logistical and diplomatic events in the UK in decades.
The official capacity of Westminster Abbey is 2,200 people, and it is expected to be full. The public will be able to watch the service live through television streams.
No 10 declined to describe the conversations with allies as formal bilateral meetings, and instead portrayed them as chats to offer condolences over the Queen’s death, during which politics is likely to come up.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: ‘There won’t be formal bilaterals in the way we normally recognise them.
‘But we will have a significant number of world leaders, heads of state in the country. She will be meeting a small proportion of those over the weekend.
‘These will be opportunities to discuss memories of Her Majesty, but in some instances it will be the first time they’ve met since she became Prime Minister.’
They will join members of the royal family, UK prime ministers past and present and key figures from public life at Westminster Abbey – which can hold about 2,000 people – at 11am on Monday.
Male dignitaries at the funeral will be advised to wear morning dress or dark lounge suits with a black tie, with dark day dresses and hats for female mourners.
National dress may also be worn, while serving military officers can wear ceremonial uniforms without swords.
People wake up after a night spent at a makeshift campsite set up along The Mall as temperatures plunge
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