During their Australia tour, the British monarch, King Charles, and his Queen Consort, Camilla, paid a visit to a church.
At Saint Thomas' Anglican Church in Sydney, the royal pair was welcomed by Archbishop Kanishka Raffel and kids from the church's Sunday school, who waved Australian flags.
Dressed in a delicate green Anna Valentine gown and hat, Camilla received a bouquet of flowers from Ellie Mantle, the minister's wife, who inquired about their recovery from the jet lag following their long flight to Australia on Friday. "Kind of," Camilla responded.
Inside the church, Charles and Camilla signed two bibles, including one that belonged to Australia's first minister and chaplain, who accompanied the First Fleet of vessels transporting convicts from Britain to the penal colony in Australia in 1788.
Outside, the royal couple shook hands and engaged in conversation with families and enthusiastic onlookers, some singing "God Save the King," who lined the streets surrounding the church, offering their first chance to interact with Charles and Camilla since their arrival in Australia's largest city on Friday night.
Sailing across Sydney Harbour, Charles paid a visit to the New South Wales parliament, commemorating Australia's oldest legislature's 200th anniversary.
The king presented the parliamentarians with an hourglass to monitor their speeches, and emphasized the crucial role of robust parliaments in upholding democracy.
"What a tremendous pleasure it is to visit Australia as sovereign for the first time and rekindle my affection for this country and its people, which I have treasured for so long," he expressed.
Charles commenced his debut voyage to an overseas domain as sovereign and his initial significant overseas trip since being diagnosed with cancer. After wrapping up his six-day Australia tour, he will attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa.
Charles made a substantial personal contribution to establish a skills program with the aim of addressing climate change and fostering higher education in small island states, including the Pacific Islands, as per the Association of Commonwealth Universities on Sunday.
"Throughout my life, I have strongly believed in the transformative impact of education in improving lives and bridging communities across the Commonwealth and beyond," he stated in a declaration.
Mid-career professionals and civil servants will benefit from the fellowships, which targets maintaining talent in small island states and enhancing resilience against the consequences of climate change, such as increasing sea levels.
After expressing their delight at visiting Australia, Charles and Camilla wished to explore more of the world's diverse cultures. In line with this, they plan to visit various countries in Oceania, starting with Australia's neighbor, New Zealand.
Furthermore, inspired by the warm welcome they received in Australia, they expressed their desire to extend similar goodwill to other parts of the world, particularly in areas affected by climate change, such as many nations in the Pacific, specifically Australia's neighbor, Papua New Guinea.
