King Charles III. ends up in Australia: a visit to history and protests!

King Charles III. ends up in Australia: a visit to history and protests!

Sydney, Australien - in Sydney has King Charles III. heralded his official visit to Australia with a service that has a special connection to his family history. The monarch remembered that his great-grandfather, George V., laid the foundation for the St. Thomas Church in 1881. This became an emotional moment, since Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla, also took the opportunity to chat with the passing -up onlookers who even brought them small gifts.

not everything was solemn - there were also demonstrations against the monarchy during the service. Representatives of the indigenous population of Australia expressed their demands for reparations for the abortions of the Aborigines during the colonial period. These tensions illustrate the complex history with which Charles is confronted while he appears as head of state.

The significant visit to the king

This visit is of particular importance, since it is Charles' first trip abroad as a king and is also the first visit to an incumbent monarch in Australia. Charles, who was in Australia for the 17th time, follows his mother's footsteps, Queen Elizabeth II, who only visited the country as a monarch. British media reported that Charles has interrupted his cancer treatment for the course of the visit, which indicates the health challenges with which he is confronted.

his schedule was adjusted accordingly to take into account the effects of his illness, which means that no evening appointments or state dinner will take place. After his arrival on Friday evening, Charles and Camilla planned Saturday as a day of rest. Originally, the visit was to take place earlier, but was postponed because of its health problems. A planned visit to New Zealand was also canceled.

After the service, the royal couple took part in a celebration to honor the 200th anniversary of the Parliament of New South Wales. Charles had already shown presence as the heir to the throne at the 150th birthday of Parliament. In his speech, he emphasized the importance of strong parliamentary systems and its effects on democracy: "When democracy is based on wisdom and good faith, it has an extraordinary ability to innovate, willingness to compromise and adaptability as well as stability." In a further step, the Association of Commonwealth Universities announced a new scholarship program on the occasion of the royal visit. This program was inspired by Charles' values ​​and life's work and aims to create opportunities and to address current challenges such as climate change and social inequalities. The initiative is particularly aimed at small island states that are a member of the Commonwealth.

Charles: "We can learn so much from each other if we work together within the Commonwealth to tackle the great challenges of our time and, like these scholarships in small island development states, to tackle where they can be felt most." The couple will form the end of his visit with a trip to the Commonwealth summit in Samoa, where numerous nations that were once British colonies are represented.