‘Renew a love’: crowds greet King and Queen on first public day of Australian tour

The couple meet with cheering fans singing ‘God Save the King’ outside the church for Sunday service

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The King and Queen have been welcomed to Australia by crowds of royalists and curious locals who rallied to show their support to a monarch who told them of his “great joy” at being there.
The couple were hailed with cheers, waving Australian flags and a flautist who learnt God Save the King that morning to play it on a loop.
In a speech, the King said: “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.”
The King and Queen are making their first visit to the country of this reign, and the first tour since his cancer diagnosis.
They arrived in Sydney on Friday night but spent Saturday resting, appearing at their first public engagement at St Thomas’ Anglican Church on Sunday morning.
Well-wishers had begun queuing at 5am to get a prime spot to see the couple, with some in the crowd flying in from other parts of Australia especially.
Many recalled seeing other royal visits, particularly that of the then Prince Charles and Diana in 1984. One woman remembered seeing the late Queen Elizabeth II in her landmark visit of 1954.
The King and Queen were greeted by around 20 Sunday school children, who delightedly shouted “I touched the King!” and “I’m famous” afterwards. “It was so good, he was so kind,” said one little girl.
The church presented the royal visitors with gifts including a rugby ball, cricket ball and toy koala for them to take home for Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
Inside, they joined the congregation for an ordinary Sunday service.
Outside, hundreds of people gathered for what is known in Australia not as a “walkabout” but an “opportunity to meet the people”.
A small number of protestors – around nine near the Church entrance and others 100m away – used a megaphone to shout their support for indigenous rights, waved Palestinian and Lebanon flags and held a banner reading “decolonisation”. 
A handful of locals shouted “get lost” and “get a life” in frustration as they walked past, while one man told them: “Be thankful you live in a free society where you can argue across the street.”
Monarchists waiting inside the church grounds to shake hands with the King and Queen described the separate republican debate as a “bore”.
After the King and Queen arrived, they were drowned out by shouts of “hip hip hooray” and blocked from sight by hundreds of camera phones held aloft.
Members of the public held signs saying “Welcome home Your Majesties” and “G’day Your Majesties”.
Valerie Malinowski, who is 75, joked that she had had “a crush” on Charles since they were both 15, but had never met him before.
“We want to make him feel welcome,” she said. “There’s a lot of negativity sometimes, but he is very welcome and very loved.”
Among those in the crowd were Sinclair and Wendy Hill, old friends of the King who have hosted him at their home in Australia. Mr Hill, who is described as Australia’s greatest ever polo player, was asked by Prince Philip to teach the young Charles, and has kept up a warm friendship ever since.
Mrs Hill, whom the King greeted with a kiss on each cheek, said afterwards: “He is a lovely man and the fact that he has not been well and still came … The effort he puts in to talk to all these people. I thought he looked terrific.”
Minah Kim, a professional flautist who wore a ball gown for the occasion, said she only learnt the piece this morning while standing on the lawn outside St Thomas’.
“We got it up on our phones and she learnt it and started practising,” said Anna Usher who was standing next to her. She added of the King: “I’m absolutely thrilled that he is here in our neck of the woods. He looks in great health.”
Lisa Knezevic, 43, of Sydney, said: “I want to let him know how we appreciate he made the really big trip.
“I’m just excited and grateful he has made the journey and so I’ve come to support him.”Sheffield-born Ryan Gilpin, 33, has lived in Sydney for the last eleven years, said: “I’ve been waiting 33 years for this moment because I just love the King and the Royal Family.”
Ten-year-old Abigail Smith, 10, in her Scouts uniform, gave the King a picture of a kangaroo she had drawn.
“He said ‘you are very kind’,” she told reporters afterwards. “I did it because the kangaroo is an Australian animal. I think he liked it.”
Joe Ackland, 48, of Melbourne, said: “It was amazing. I asked him if he would be going to go surfing or swimming on Manley Beach and he said ‘if I was a younger man’.”
The King and Queen returned to their car with gifts including Tunnock’s Tea Cakes, Kangaroo jerky and bouquets of flowers.
They both signed a Bible, which once belonged to Rev Richard Johnson, the first Christian Minister in Australia, and has been signed by every visiting member of the Royal family since.
Perhaps giving away the extent of his jetlag, the King turned to ask an aide “What day is it again?” before writing the date.
At the second engagement of the day, at the New South Wales Legislative Council to mark its bicentenary, the King remarked on the “slightly worrying” fact that he first came to the country nearly sixty years ago.
He presented the legislature with a commemorative hourglass to mark the occasion.
“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 said.
“So, thank you, thank you, Ladies and Gentlemen for making me feel so very welcome.”
Charles, 75, who was not accompanied by the queen, was greeted by a line-up of dignitaries at the parliamentary building.
In the speech, he said: “Since I was here in 1974, and incidentally I first came to Oz nearly 60 hrs ago, which is slightly worrying — this place and the people within it — have continued to uphold strong representative traditions.
“To everyone who has been a part of this, I can only offer my warmest congratulations.
As he left the building, the King took off across the road for an impromptu walkabout where he was greeted by people telling him ‘welcome back’,  ‘great to see you’ and ‘thank you for coming’.
“It’s fantastic to be here,” he replied. “I am so pleased to be back.”
The third day of the royal visit continued with audiences with the Governor-General of Australia Sam Mostyn, and the Governor of New South Wales Margaret Beazley.
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