Britain’s King Charles is spending his first full day of his visit to Australia recovering from a 20-hour journey from London to Sydney.
Therefore, he will not participate in any public events on Saturday.
This is written by the AFP news agency.
The 75-year-old king arrived late Friday evening local time in the windy and rainy Australian city together with his wife, Queen Camilla.
It is the British monarch’s first major trip since it emerged in January that he has cancer.
When the royal couple arrived in Sydney, they were greeted by local representatives and children with flowers. They then moved on to a short private event with the Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, and his fiancee.
– We are very much looking forward to returning to this beautiful country to celebrate the unique cultures and societies that make the country so special, the royal couple wrote in a post on the social media Instagram ahead of their arrival.
Although the former British colony became an independent nation in 1901, the British monarch is still the country’s head of state.
The royal family’s visits to the far reaches of the Commonwealth are seen as an important means of ensuring continued support for the monarchy.
The Commonwealth is an association of English-speaking countries, many of which have been British colonies.
In addition to Great Britain, 14 of the countries have the British monarch as the formal head of state. One of these countries is Australia. However, the monarch has no real power in the country.
Both the former Queen Elizabeth and the current King Charles can be found on some Australian coins and notes.
Last year, a poll according to AFP showed that a third of the Australian population supported Australia becoming a republic as soon as possible.
However, a similar proportion supported maintaining the constitutional monarchy.
When British monarchs go on extended visits abroad, there is a tradition of banquets and parades.
During this visit, the usual pomp and pageantry has been cut back a bit to take care of the king’s health. In addition, a planned visit to New Zealand has been cancelled.
King Charles’ visit to Australia, where he also stops by the capital, Canberra, spans six days before he travels on to Samoa.
/ritzau/AFP
Source: www.kristeligt-dagblad.dk
