At Buckingham Palace, this was a grand finale to Australia’s royal tour.
Thousands of people took to the streets of Sydney on Tuesday, eager to catch a glimpse of King Charles and Queen Camilla, facing the iconic Opera House in the afternoon sunshine.
Optics were good. Despite the headline protest in Canberra on Monday, the public mood in Sydney was supportive.
But getting to this point – successfully completing the journey before a sad farewell – will be a huge relief for royal aides.
Back in February, the trip looked impossible as King was diagnosed with cancer and undergoing treatment.
But it remained in the diary with the correction of doctors’ advice.
The duration of these visits has been short and the discussions have been planned to avoid early starts and late finishes.
Although there have been changes, the King and the Queen have been busy.
On Tuesday alone the royal couple visited the National Center of Indigenous Excellence, a food bank, a community housing project, a literacy program, a community barbecue, meeting two leading cancer researchers, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Sydney Opera House and a naval review . in Sydney Harbour.
The Australian arm of the King’s Foundation is officially launched, expanding the charity that promotes sustainability and provides vocational skills training.
The tour is a fast-paced round of events, with crowds at each venue clamoring for attention – and King seems to have coped well.
The challenges of his life did not go unnoticed and he seemed touched by the response he received from the community during his first visit here as King.
I Protest at Parliament House in Canberra Monday was uncomfortable but not unexpected.
King has encountered many protesters over the years and came to Australia knowing that republican sentiments and campaigns in support of indigenous communities are likely to emerge.
His presence here in Australia is immediate focuses on the King’s role as head of state and it also raises questions about whether that is good for modern Australia.
Although republican sentiment is evident below here, apart from the chaos in Parliament it did not explode in any significant way during this trip.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who supports the republic, was at the King and Queen’s side for several talks and spoke warmly of his royal guests.
Before the disruption in Parliament, the prime minister formally welcomed the King to Canberra.
“You have shown great respect for the Australian people, even at times when we were discussing the future of our constitutional arrangements and the nature of our relationship with the Crown. Nothing stands still,” said Mr. Albanese.
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