There was Elizabeth Kenny, who went royal spotting on her birthday and was rewarded by a brief meeting that left her shaking. There were mother and daughter Magali Latchoumanin and Sunny, 11, who travelled 15 hours from a French-speaking island near South Africa to be part of history.
A small group of protesters also gathered outside the church, identifying themselves as First Nations Resistance. They held up a banner saying DECOLONISE, and exchanged barbs with royal supporters.
At the church, no one mentioned the elephant in the room; that the Sydney Anglican Archdiocese has all but split with the Church of England, of which the King is the supreme governor, over conservative Sydney’s view that the Britons are not orthodox enough.
Earlier this year, Raffel described the Church of England’s decision to allow blessings of same-sex couples as “a grievous abrogation of its responsibility to uphold the primacy of scripture in the life and ministry of the church.”
At Parliament House, MPs were starstruck too. They held up their phones to film King Charles as he popped into a lunch for the 200th birthday of the Legislative Council, staying only briefly to deliver a speech, gift them an hourglass, and make a joke about his age (he “first came to Australia nearly 60 years ago, which was slightly worrying”).
Many held up their phones to film the entrance of the monarch, who was announced to the sound of NSW Police trumpeters as the King of Australia (a lone voice responded with a shout of “hooray”; in response to the hooray, another lone voice laughed).
King Charles and Legislative Council president Ben Franklin.Credit: Aaron Chown
To the MPs for Vaucluse (Kellie Sloane) and Manly (James Griffin), he extolled the virtues of Bondi Beach. “He asked if Bondi was as amazing as it has always been,” Sloane said.
MPs from both sides of politics described it as a memorable event. Even some of the Greens were there, said one. “We may all be pro-republic, but acknowledge this is a very special occasion for the parliament, and we want to be a part of it,” said one Labor MP on the condition of anonymity, so they could speak freely.
A National MP, on the same condition, said it was “a really special day … all MPs were saying this morning that it’s a rare occasion to have a reigning monarch address us, so everyone has been very excited”.
Chloe Barnett, 12, with a letter to King Charles and Queen Camilla as they attend a church service at St Thomas’ Anglican Church.Credit: Dion Georgopoulos
The King greeted well-wishers outside parliament too. Sasha Barrass, 13, was among them. “He has a firm handshake,” she said. “I said hello to him, and he said hello back, and then my mum said, “long live your majesty”, and my dad said he hopes the King is well, and he said how everyone is very kind.
“I’m really excited and will treasure this moment for the rest of my life.”
After an audience with Governor-General Sam Mostyn, the royal duties were complete. It was a short day by royal standards, but a longer than usual one for the King since his diagnosis.
On Monday, the royal couple visit parliament and the War Memorial in Canberra, before returning to Sydney on Tuesday and flying to Samoa for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting on Wednesday.
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