King Charles feels "great joy" at being able to visit Australia for the first time as Sovereign.
The monarch has jetted Down Under with his wife Queen Camilla for his first visit the country since he ascended the throne following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth in 2022 and during a speech at New South Wales Parliament House in Sydney on Sunday (20.10.24) the king revealed the trip has "renewed" his love of Australia.
Charles presented politicians there with an hourglass - which he dubbed a "speech timer" - to mark the 200th anniversary of its upper house and said: "With the sands of time encouraging brevity, it just remains for me to say what a great joy it is to come to Australia for the first time as Sovereign, and to renew a love of this country and its people which I have cherished for so long."
He added: "Democratic systems must evolve, of course, to remain fit for purpose, but they are, nevertheless, essentially sound systems, as I said in this building 50 years ago.
"When underpinned by wisdom and good faith, democracy has, I believe, an extraordinary capacity for innovation, compromise and adaptability, as well as stability. Moreover, strong parliamentary systems, like the one we celebrate on this special occasion, are fundamental to the democracies that serve today’s diverse societies; and are even more vital, given the ever-changing natural, social, economic and technological environment."
The royals landed in the country on Friday (18.10.24) and had a day of rest on Saturday (19.10.24) before getting the official visit underway on Sunday (20.10.24).
As well as visiting New South Wales Parliament House, the couple also headed to a church in a north Sydney suburb, where the King signed a Bible brought over with the First Fleet which he had previously signed alongside his late ex-wife Diana, Princess of Wales during their Australia trip together back in 1983.
The Bible has also been signed by other royals including William, Prince of Wales and his wife Catherine, Princess of Wales as well as Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York.
During the visit to the church the couple were also presented with gifts for their grandchildren which included a rugby ball, a cricket ball and a koala cuddly toy.
The trip marks King Charles' first foreign trip since his cancer diagnosis at the start of the year and he's believed to have taken a short break from treatment to allow him to visit Australia. However, the trip is expected to be shorter than most royal tours and include more rest days to ensure the monarch does not get too tired.
