King Charles and Queen Camilla have officially bid goodbye to Australia as their time in the Oceanic country came to an end on Wednesday, after a jam packed few days that lead to more than a few unexpected encounters.
Ahead of their departure, the royal couple ascended the stairs to their private plane, before waving to well wishers and thanking those that had gathered to greet them, all while wearing bright smiles that mirrored the hospitality they had experienced from many citizens.
The kind gesture wasn’t the only nod of recgonition the couple had given to the crowds that had turned out to catch a glimpse of them on the tour, with the King himself having extending a heartfelt apology to many attendees who had queued for over five hours to see them.
For the couple’s final day in the country, Charles and Camilla experienced the country’s cultural life from both sides of the divide, even sharing a hug with an Indigenous elder and grilling at a community barbecue in the Sydney suburbs, while also fielding criticism about Britain’s colonial past.
Clearly embracing the hospitality of the host notion, at the end of a long hot day the Queen even took her shoes off and carried them as she walked up the steps of Admiralty House, the official residence of the Governor General where the couple have been staying.
Thousands had turned out to see the King and his wife at the landmark attraction designed by Danish architect Jorn Utzon as their six-day tour of Australia drew to a close, with British actress Dame Joanna Lumley among the the familiar faces that had come to greet them, when she took a break from her one-woman show at the Sydney Opera House.
Earlier, the King was confronted for a second day by First Nations activists questioning the supremacy of the British monarchy in Australia.
When Charles met Indigenous elders during a visit to the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence in Sydney, one, Allan Murray, told him their goal was “sovereignty” and referenced the comments of Senator Lidia Thorpe who on Monday accused the King of “genocide” against the First Nations.
Mr Murray, from the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council, said after the visit: “We always long for a return of our sovereignty. We are a sovereign people, we have never signed a formal agreement or treaty.
“The Union Jack was put on our land without our consent. We’ve been ignored. We can’t rest on our laurels.”
During his visit to the centre the King shared a hug with Uncle James Michael Welsh, a survivor of Australia’s stolen generation when First Nations children were taken away from their parents for assimilation into white society.
Charles stretched out his hand and Mr Welsh said he told the King “I’m not much of a hand shaker, I’m more of a hugger or cuddler” and Charles replied “hugs are good” and the two men embraced.
He added: “I wouldn’t mind sitting down and having a yarn with him to be honest and tell him everything that has happened and how to help the children coming up for a better future.”
Meanwhile, when the Queen visited Refettorio OzHarvest, a community hub providing free lunches for the vulnerable, she was inducted into the Order of the Teaspoon, a symbolic initiative highlighting how small changes are significant.
Outside a well-wisher had brought their nine-year-old parrot Caeser, and Camilla persevered in saying “hello Caeser” until cheers went up when he finally replied “hello”.
Charles’s visit was his first to Australia as King despite his cancer diagnosis and the overseas tour has been curtailed on advice from doctors, with a visit to New Zealand dropped from the itinerary.
Professor Richard Scolyer, co-medical director of the Melanoma Institute Australia (MIA), said the King’s decision to go public with his cancer diagnosis was “courageous” after Charles visited the centre.
Prof Scolyer, one of the world’s leading melanoma specialists, said: “It’s courageous of the King to go public with his cancer journey.”
Charles has suspended his treatment while away from the UK and Professor Georgina Long, co-medical director of the MIA, said: “This is a common discussion I have with patients, and my view, and that of my colleagues, is that we are here for quality of life, and so you squeeze things in, you make it happen for people.”
The King and Camilla will now travel on Wednesday to Samoa which is staging the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, a gathering of world leaders whose discussions will be formally launched by Charles.
