King Charles has been greeted by Indigenous dancers and a meal of kangaroo pies during a visit to inner-city Sydney on the final full day of his brief royal tour.
The monarch met key elders on Tuesday morning after a small group of hecklers gathered outside the National Centre for Indigenous Excellence in Redfern.
He was welcomed with a smoking ceremony in the building’s courtyard, while chants of “You’re on stolen land” and “No pride in genocide” could be heard from outside the centre.
“We’ve got stories to tell and I think you witnessed that story yesterday,” Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council chair Allan Murray told the King.
“Welcome to Gadigal land.”
Victorian senator Lidia Thorpe on Monday interrupted a reception in Parliament House in Canberra, telling the monarch “You are not our king” before being led away by officials.
After his greeting at Redfern, Sydney, King Charles was led to meet Beryl Van-Oploo, who served him 40 years earlier during another Australian tour.
This time, Aunty Beryl offered the King kangaroo pies, before he was rushed off to the sports hall.
“I’m honoured to have him here because I grew up with respect,” she said before his arrival.
King Charles watched a performance by Indigenous dancers before going into a private meeting with elders.
The event took place while Queen Camilla visited Refettorio OzHarvest in nearby Surry Hills and began a packed schedule across the city on the final day of the Australian tour, the King’s first since ascending the throne.
Their itinerary includes what is expected to be the largest public event of the visit, when the couple greet well-wishers outside the Sydney Opera House on Tuesday afternoon.
The last time a sovereign met the crowds at the Opera House was when the late Queen Elizabeth II visited in 2006.
NSW Premier Chris Minns said there would be a surprise in store for the royals at the iconic building, where they would be greeted by 100 public-school students in a special performance.
“(The King) doesn’t know about it, but those kids are obviously over the moon,” he told Sydney radio 2GB.
The royals will then take part in a Royal Australian Navy Fleet Review of five ships on Sydney Harbour.
The navy, the army, and the air force will carry out fly-pasts and more than 600 officers and sailors will conduct a “cheer ship” salute.
King Charles and Queen Camilla are also due to be reunited for a community barbecue at Parramatta, hosted by the premier, before the King leaves for a series of afternoon events.
Hundreds of community leaders and volunteers gathered in Parramatta Park before the lunch event, which builds on a traditional Aussie barbecue with a range of multicultural food stalls.
The King will later visit the Melanoma Institute in northern Sydney, where he will meet joint Australians of the Year Georgina Long and Richard Scolyer.
The King, 75, was earlier in 2024 diagnosed with a form of cancer, the type of which has not been officially confirmed.
The visit is the first trip to Australia by a reigning British monarch since 2011, while King Charles has previously visited 16 times in an official capacity.
with pool reporters
