It was a sparkling Sydney day as the city nearly always does on major event days such as this. Arriving at Circular Quay, it was hard to miss the long snaking queue of Royal fans winding it’s way down East Circular Quay, along the Promenade across to West Circular Quay & the Overseas Passenger Terminal. The length easily meant a long wait to the gates of the Sydney Opera House. However, I didn’t need to join this queue as the best viewing spot for the Monarchical Fleet Review was on the water. For these events, a land vantage point always blocks some portion of the review. On the water, this disadvantage is all but removed.

Arriving at 3:45pm, 45 minutes after the Sydney Opera House gates opened would have ensured it was hard to see the Royal couple at the Sydney Opera House given people had been waiting to enter since as early as 5:30am & the time that has passed since the gates opened would have meant the best spots were already gone. If you were just happy to see them at the Opera House rather than meet & greet them, joining the queue for the 4:20pm start for the meet & greet would have been worth the wait.

But for the Fleet Review, on the water is the best. At the Sydney Opera House, spectators were prevented from accessing the relevant shoreline for the Fleet Review by security until the Royal couple had hopped on board their boat so being at the Sydney Opera House would have meant missing the start of the Fleet Review on the water despite being at a waterside vantage point. The Northern Forecourt was also sealed off for the entire event.

When the Fleet Review started, the Admiral Hudson took the Royal couple along the edge of Farm Cove so spectators in the Royal Botanic Gardens & The Domain could see them. Apart from a small patch of spectators at the Opera House gates and at Mrs Macquarie’s Point, the Farm Cove shoreline was noticeably empty. Once they finished their journey around Farm Cove, the formal inspection of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) ships begun.

I was on board the Pearl, a cruise vessel operated by Sydney Princess Cruises. I checked-in at their ticket booth just off the Eastern Pontoon of Circular Quay. The ticket booth operator greeted me with brilliant customer service – they managed to guess who I was before I told them who I was. They gave me my ticket & waited for the vessel to arrive at 3:55pm.

The vessel arrived a little bit late but that wasn’t a problem. King Charles, was in fact, running behind schedule at this point too & the Fleet Review was scheduled to start at 4:50pm – plenty of time for the vessel to arrive & take us to Farm Cove, where the Fleet Review would begin.

The Pearl arrived at 4pm, 5 minutes late to the ticket operator’s instruction but it was the scheduled time for the cruise, and we boarded, greeted kindly by the staff on board. The vessel has 2 interior levels & an open deck on top. I didn’t pay much attention to the lower boarding deck, but the upper interior deck had tables with 6 chairs each nicely arranged for people to relax at. The top open deck was wide & spacious. For refreshments, this cruise only had simply tea & coffee as its focus was on sightseeing rather than dining. With a capacity of 140 people, which would be full on New Year’s Eve, I expected about 10 people on board for this event. The cruise probably received about triple this but was still low enough to make the cruise rather pleasurable compared to the hustle & bustle of a New Year’s Eve cruise, though the fireworks would make that discomfort worth it.

The cruise departed at 4:16pm – 16 minutes late – but again, the Fleet Review wasn’t to be for just over half an hour & the King himself was late too. The trip began by going around the Sydney Opera House. At around 4:27pm, whilst crossing Farm Cove & approaching the nearest RAN ship anchored for review, His Majesty’s Australian Ship (HMAS) Warramunga, the boatswain’s call could be heard being blown from the ship as a cruiser went past. Knowing the King was scheduled to arrive at the Sydney Opera House at 4:20pm, a full 7 minutes prior, despite knowing he was running behind schedule, out of a rush of excitement, I thought the cruiser was his & that he decided to do the Fleet Review first and was just finishing! Everyone on board both boats waved enthusiastically at each other, 1 happy to see spectators, the other thinking they were seeing the King & Queen.

Looking at the vessel, it was definitely his cruiser, the Admiral Hudson, as confirmed to us by our commentator who delivered us the news that the New South Wales (NSW) Police had yelled over the radio to the captain to stay away from the vessel (despite the official website saying the exclusion zones didn’t come into effect until the Fleet Review started) but I noticed the King’s Flag For Australia was not flying so he wasn’t on board. It later turned out they were delivering the Governor-General & Australian Defence Force (ADF) officers to Man O’War Steps. Important dignitaries but still, the NSW Government should provide more accurate exclusion zone advice prior to the event. In any case, even though the Pearl passed the Admiral Hudson, the Admiral Hudson also kept to its path. If there was a real security threat posed by a marine vessel that was within an in-effect 100-metre exclusion zone surrounding the Admiral Hudson, ploughing on through as if the marine vessel wasn’t there is not a good idea and in fact, would heighten the security risk. The NSW Government & the RAN should be more proactive in this regard.

Anyway, after that little incident, the cruise went around Sydney Harbour on a sightseeing tour heading east to near Shark Island before turning around. The Harbour had a steady breeze and keeping our balance on the choppy water was, at times, a challenge. Our commentator gave us a nice simple commentary neatly catering to the international tourist. He spoke clearly and kindly gave updates on the King & Queen’s whereabouts throughout the journey. At this point, the ‘pre-show entertainment’ began – 2 helicopters flying around with a flag under them – 1 the Australian National Flag & 1 the RAN Ensign. They flew around until the end of the Fleet Review, emphasising the pride Australia has in itself & their Navy.

Throughout this journey, we passed the other 4 RAN vessels anchored in Sydney Harbour. All 5 were dressed ship & decks manned with sailors in ceremonial uniform ready for review. There were also other working RAN vessels that were sailing around the Harbour. Garden Island also had the full complement of RAN sailors from ships that couldn’t attend neatly lined up in a row of white along the foreshore ready for the King. Throughout the sightseeing portion of the trip, the King & Queen arrived at the Sydney Opera House and conducted their meet & greet.

Our vessel then hung around the eastern shore of Kirribilli. This time, though, there was an actual breach of the exclusion zone around Kirribilli Point, which has the King & Queen’s temporary residence in Australia – Admiralty House – normally the Governor-General’s Sydney residence & the Prime Minister’s residence – Kirribilli House. A 200-metre exclusion zone was in force around the Point & whilst waiting nearby, the current took the Pearl into the exclusion zone. A New South Wales Police officer on a small vessel promptly motored to the vessel & ordered the captain out of the exclusion zone immediately, though there was some confusion on the part of the crew (at least the commentator, who oddly seemed to be the main communicator between the police officer & the captain) as to what they accidentally did wrong. The captain took us out of the exclusion zone & as we hovered nearby outside the exclusion zone, we promptly see a yacht being told off for the same thing.

Over at the Man O’ War Steps, at 5:12pm, we could see the Admiral Hudson depart indicating the Fleet Review had begun, though 20 minutes late, but unexpectedly, as mentioned before, it did a brief slow journey along the foreshore of Farm Cove for the few spectators there (as that area was promoted as an official vantage point) so it technically didn’t begin until that was completed. Sydney’s sailing fleet was waiting between Garden Island and Mrs Macquarie’s Point for the King and Queen to arrive & then, to follow them around. Over in the distance, over South Head in the east, heading south was the helicopter flypast by the Australian Army & RAN about to turn to make their flypast over what is, ultimately, their Commander-In-Chief.

This fleet review was historically significant as it was to become the 1st ever conducted on Sydney Harbour by the Monarch of Australia. After reviewing the 1st ship, HMAS Warramunga, the helicopter flypast occurred by the Australian Army & RAN – 17 minutes earlier than planned during the Fleet Review (though 11 minutes late in real time). They flew in perfect precision and was quite a sight with the ‘chudda-chudda-chudda’ of the spinning rotors reminding everyone of the sacrifices that our Defence personnel make or could ultimately make. It was just as spectacular as the one they did in 2013 for the International Fleet Review. There also a late addition – a Bell UH-1 Iroquois ‘Huey’ helicopter from the Historic Aircraft Restoration Society Museum in Shellharbour, where the Sydney Spectacular – Airshows Downunder Shellharbour – is based.

With the helicopter flypast surprisingly done already, the Admiral Hudson then went to review the sailors at Garden Island. When they arrived there, our vessel began the journey to catch up with those nearby waiting vessels, who had begun following the King. We then saw, from a distance (as the crew were now worried about breaking the exclusion zone even more times), the King & Queen review 3 other ships. Their path was a simple circular trip up to near Shark Island, similar to the sightseeing portion of our cruise. Whilst we couldn’t make out the King & Queen, the RAN sailors were clear as day, standing immaculately with patience & loyalty before the commanding officer of their ship boomed out of the ship’s loudspeakers the words: “3 cheers for His Majesty King Charles The 3rd. Hip. Hip, hip” before all the sailors waved their caps in circular motion with a big loyal “Hooray!”. The hips & hoorays were then twice repeated before the order was given for the sailors to redon their caps.

The Pearl had followed a smaller circular trip, roughly half the size of the 1st one, in order to follow the King & Queen. As they approached the final ship, HMAS Arunta, we were now in viewing range of the King & Queen whilst maintaining the 100-metre exclusion zone around the Admiral Hudson. They then went out of viewing range before it returned into range in the midst of The King’s review of HMAS Arunta.

The Admiral Hudson, which all the vessels were following, then made speed for Admiralty House. There, King Charles and Queen Camilla left the vessel & were in viewing range. The Queen’s white dress, in the sea of white ceremonial navy uniforms, was so bright that it stood out. You couldn’t miss it. King Charles’s suit blended in with his surroundings and the Governor-General’s choice of similar colouring didn’t help matters but the King was able to be seen once you spotted him.

They paused on Admiralty House’s wharf as sneaking up behind us, in the east, was 4 Royal Australian Air Force jets flying in close formation past Admiralty House & over the Sydney Harbour Bridge. They roared overhead to provide a fitting finale to the Monarchical Fleet Review similar to the famous balcony appearances the King & Queen make at Buckingham Palace after Trooping The Colour and other significant Royal events in London.

The King & Queen then climbed the long stairway up to Admiralty House & as they neared the top, the Pearl sailed passed the Sydney Opera House back into Circular Quay to the Eastern Pontoon, arriving back at 5:54pm, 6 minutes earlier than scheduled – though the cruise’s finish time was entirely based on when the Fleet Review finished, which was scheduled to finish at 5:20pm.

The commentator kindly asked us to remain on the decks until instructed & when the all-clear was given to disembark, we left to the sight of the next waiting crowd of cruisegoers on Sydney Harbour. The crew of the Pearl all kindly thanked us for cruising with them that afternoon as we disembarked.

At a price of $55 per adult & $40 for children, the cruise was great value for money especially if you were a tourist after a simple plain sightseeing cruise, which I entirely recommend. The only hiccup was the accidental Admiralty House exclusion zone breach and the subsequent understandable nervousness of the crew to get as close as possible to the Admiral Hudson. However, the crew’s, at least the commentator’s, lack of not realising what they had accidentally done wrong was a bit concerning.

With the Monarchical Fleet Review, whilst the schedule should have been better kept & exclusion zone advice made clearer, the event was simply run to perfection – a Sydney Spectacular. What other body of water in the world could host such a review of a naval fleet by a country’s head of state? The images ran around the world. Even on a small scale compared to 2013, it was still spectacular.

The ADF, in particular the RAN, should be proud. Though their helicopter pilots were eager to make their salute, they once again delivered.

They & Sydney Princess Cruises passed my inspection.

ADF – 9/10

Monarchical Fleet Review – 8/10

Sydney Princess Cruises – 7/10

12:13pm: The Royal Australian Air Force Boeing 737 MAX 8 BBJ business jet (‘ASY348’) that is carrying King Charles & Queen Camilla has turned northeast over the Pacific Ocean & has since left New South Wales (NSW) and Australian airspace simultaneously thus meaning King Charles & Queen Camilla have left NSW & Australia. With that, that concludes our live blog for the Royal visits to Sydney. We don’t expect King Charles & Queen Camilla to return to Australia until 2028 at the earliest but that could have been their last trip to Sydney as in Queen Elizabeth II’s final 3 trips to Australia, when she was 75-85 (King Charles is currently 75), she only visited Sydney once & that was on her penultimate trip so until the next Royal visit (we hope), unless Australia becomes a republic where there will be no more Royal visits, this is Sydney Spectaculars signing off. Goodbye!

12:04pm: The Royal Australian Air Force Boeing 737 MAX 8 BBJ business jet (‘ASY348’) that is carrying King Charles & Queen Camilla turned east immediately after take-off and flew to the coast just north of Maroubra where they went out over the Pacific Ocean leaving Sydney airspace thus meaning King Charles & Queen Camilla have left Sydney.

12:02pm: The Royal Australian Air Force Boeing 737 MAX 8 BBJ business jet (‘ASY348’) that is carrying King Charles & Queen Camilla has now taken off from Sydney Airport’s 3rd runway.

11:45am: The Royal Australian Air Force Boeing 737 MAX 8 BBJ business jet (‘ASY348’) that is carrying King Charles & Queen Camilla is now taxiing to the runway.

11:30am: King Charles & Queen Camilla have arrived at Sydney Airport’s private terminal. They were greeted & farewelled by dignitaries including the Governor-General Of Australia, Sam Mostyn, the New South Wales (NSW) Governor, Margaret Beazley & the Deputy Premier of NSW, Prue Car. They then climbed the airstairs, turned around & waved goodbye before boarding their Royal Australian Air Force Boeing 737 MAX 8 BBJ business jet (‘ASY348’).

11:05am: Welcome to Day 6, the final day, of our live blog! King Charles & Queen Camilla have just left Admiralty House at Kirribilli Point on Sydney Harbour, by car with police escort, for Sydney Airport’s private terminal, where they should arrive in 25 minutes.

22nd Of October

11pm: To anyone who wants to see the Royal Australian Air Force flyover of 4 jets up Sydney Harbour which concluded the Monarchical Fleet Review, click ‘Watch LIVE’ and you will find a video from Sky News United Kingdom of the whole Meet And Greet & Review, which has the concluding flypast. Again, we will be back tomorrow morning to cover their departure from Sydney, New South Wales & Australia.

6pm: And with that Royal Australian Air Force flyover of 4 jets up Sydney Harbour (which the Australian Broadcasting Corporation did not show in their broadcast), that concludes the Monarchical Fleet Review! After being giving a couple of gifts from the Royal Australian Navy, in the form of caps & a book on Admiralty House’s wharf, King Charles & Queen Camilla are now inside Admiralty House where they will rest for the remainder of the day. With that, that concludes our live blog for this the 5th day of the Royal visits to Sydney. We will be back tomorrow morning to cover their departure from Sydney, New South Wales & Australia. Until then!

4:30pm: BREAKING NEWS After been picked up by his wife at Melanoma Institute Australia, King Charles & Queen Camilla have arrived by car at the Sydney Opera House for the Monarchical Fleet Review! Click ‘Watch LIVE’ to watch it live! We will leave the blog here to enjoy it!

4:15pm: We are live on the Pearl on Sydney Harbour. The entertainment has just begun with a helicopter coming in from the east flying the Australian National Flag underneath.

4:10pm: King Charles is now visiting Melanoma Institute Australia in Wollstonecraft with the Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, where he is meeting the Australians Of The Year. Queen Camilla is still at Admiralty House resting.

3:30pm: King Charles is now attending the launch of the King’s Foundation Australia at a reception in Admiralty House with the Australian Governor-General, Sam Mostyn, New South Wales (NSW) Governor, Margaret Beazley & the NSW Heritage Minister, Penny Sharpe. After 2 speeches were made, neither by the King, he unveiled a plaque commemorating the launch. Queen Camilla is still at Admiralty House resting. The King is running a bit behind schedule, so they are both now behind schedule even though Queen Camilla is just resting.

2:45pm: King Charles is now attending the Sustainable Markets Initiative Discussion at Admiralty House with the Australian Governor-General, Sam Mostyn. Queen Camilla is at Admiralty House resting.

2pm: King Charles & Queen Camilla have now left the Western Sydney Community Barbeque to return, by car, to Admiralty House at Kirribilli Point on Sydney Harbour.

1:55pm: Renowned chef, Adam Liaw, is Master Of Ceremonies at the Western Sydney Community Barbeque. He is now introducing the Premier Of New South Wales (NSW), Chris Minns, who steps up to make a speech. King Charles follows him in making a speech.

Thank you so much, ladies & gentleman. Thanks for being here & we thank the Darug people for welcoming us onto their land. For all of us today, what a great honour we get to tell our family & our friends that we had a barbeque with the King & the Queen. It’s not the kind of thing that you’ll easily forget.

Your Majesty, this might be your 1st visit to Australia as a Sovereign but it’s certainly not your 1st visit as a friend. For 60 years, you’ve been coming to our city and our state & in that time, you’ve witnessed… you’ve witnessed the latest chapter in the long story of change that’s happened in Western Sydney. That story starts in ancient times as the home & hunting ground of the Burramattagal people then prior to self-government as the centre of farming and agriculture in New South Wales & since then, in our lifetime, the heart of multicultural Australia. In the same way that the British Commonwealth pulls together 56 nations into a single body, Western Sydney has stitched the world into a single community & without being too immodest, I think it’s an example to the world of how we can live together as 1 people despite our differences. That success is built on our citizens, on everyone here today but it also comes from the principles & traditions of British democracy & British law: Parliamentary sovereignty, government by the people & now because of these strengths, we’re a country that stands for freedom & hope around the world.

Friends, on Sunday morning, His Majesty visited our State Parliament to recognise 200 years of self-rule in New South Wales & he gave us a very thoughtful gift and from my perspective as Premier, a very useful one too. He gave the Parliament a new hourglass timekeeper, in his words, ‘to encourage brevity in speeches from politicians’ (crowd laughs) so Your Ma…(chuckles) so Your…Don’t cheer that! So Your Majesty, I’m going to follow this lesson so thank you to all for coming here today & a special thanks to the farmers and the Royal Agricultural Society who fed us this afternoon and who continue to deliver the best produce in the entire world. (crowd claps) You’ve all…You’ve all…Thank you. You’ve all been invited here because of your exceptional contribution to this state so please join me now in showing how we welcome guests in Australia & how grateful we all are to have His Majesty in our country. Please welcome His Majesty.

Chris Minns, NSW Premier

Uh, Premier and, and, and Mrs Minns, Deputy Premier and Mr Hull & um, Matthew Doyle, if I may say so, for the moving welcome uh, onto the beautiful lands of the Dar, Darug people on, on, on which we’re gathered today so thank you very much for that very kind introduction.

I knew I should’ve brought the egg timer that, along with me just to check that I didn’t go on for too long but having visited, uh, Western, uh, Sydney on a number of occasions over more than 50 years now from Liverpool to Richmond, uh, it is always a particular pleasure to return to the, to the neighbourhood & that is why, if I may say so, I’m, I’m so delighted to be here in Parramatta. An excellent choice for a community barbeque since Parramatta was a place, uh, where First Nations people from around the region also came together for generations to meet & trade food so it’s a particular delight to see & smell all the top tucker here today from Western Sydney’s vibrant & diverse community.

Ever since I, I 1st came to Australia very nearly, can you believe this, 60 years ago to attend school in, uh, Geelong & uh, also to hack my way through the bush country around Mansfield in Victoria, the generous spirit of Australians has always made me feel welcome & that is true again today so my wife and I are really glad to be back in Sydney but especially pleased to be here in, in Parramatta for the 1st time. It’s also a great joy to renew my long association with the Royal Agricultural Society of New South Wales which for more than 200 years has carried out such outstanding work to champion the farming community & the production of the highest quality produce as we are happily rediscovering today, New South Wales farmers continue to produce truly outstanding food & wine. It is no wonder, I think, that Sydney is, uh, world-famous for its cuisine, whether its smashed avo, uh, a pav or a cab sav, uh, &, uh, that is what I hope has been on display.

(puts sheet of paper under another)

Now, ever since, um, IIIIIII…(tries to turn to another sheet of paper)…God almighty, they’ve done 2 pages of this bloody thing, right. (crowd laughs) (put sheet of paper under another) You’re seriously kidding me.

Anyway, I must say it is a real pleasure to have just have this chance to try this produce but also crucially, to meet, uh, the people who make it happen, working tirelessly in all seasons and in all weathers & developing an intimate understanding of the importance of caring for nature & making it part & parcel of their endeavours so being here in Western Sydney also gives me an opportunity to see it 1st hand what I’ve heard about before & that is that Parramatta and the region around it has become 1 of the most dynamic, enterprising and culturally diverse communities in the world & I just want to particularly acknowledge the community leaders and volunteers who are here today & who contribute so much to Western Sydney and beyond. As I said when I was in Australia back in 2012, our volunteers are the glue which, um, holds together such a diverse, energetic & determined society. I always have the greatest admiration for them & the wonderful work they do for their communities so thank you everyone for coming to join us at this barbie today & more particularly, thank you for the contribution you make to your local communities & beyond.

Thank you, ladies & gentlemen.

Charles R

1:35pm: King Charles & Queen Camilla are now watching a sheep dog trial at the Western Sydney Community Barbeque.

1:20pm: King Charles is visiting some of the food & beverage stalls at the Western Sydney Community Barbeque.

1:05pm: King Charles has taken off the hi-visibilty vests & hard hat in order to depart from the Homes NSW project site on Cowper Street in Glebe. He then hopped into a car, which took him to Parramatta Park, where he was reunited with his wife at the Western Sydney Community Barbeque, where they were welcomed by their host, the Premier & Deputy Premier of New South Wales, Chris Minns & Prue Car respectively. King Charles has participated in another smoking ceremony, this time with Queen Camilla. They were greeted by 500 guests with some children giving King Charles & Queen Camilla flower crowns, one of which the Queen tried on, before they both had a go at barbecuing.

12:25pm: Queen Camilla has finished her discussion & has left the table to present some awards to some of the students. Before she left, the Workshop had a group photo on the Library’s staircase. She then left Green Square Library in a car to join the King at Parramatta Park for a barbecue with the Western Sydney community in 25 minutes.

12:10pm: The King and all dignitaries donned hi-visibility vests & hard hats for a tour of the construction site, where he was introduced to Julie Bishop, King’s Trust chairperson, who is funding the Homes New South Wales (NSW) project in Glebe, which King Charles then unveiled a plaque at.

11:55am: King Charles has left the National Centre For Indigenous Excellence in Redfern & by car, has headed to & arrived at a Homes New South Wales (NSW) project in Glebe on Cowper Street. He was greeted on arrival by the NSW Premier, Chris Minns who introduces him to the Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese.

11:45am: Queen Camilla has arrived at Green Square Library where she met the Sydney Lord Mayor, Clover Moore, before moving inside to greet dignitaries. The library is hosting a Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition workshop so for a discussion on the competition, Queen Camilla has now sat at a table which has students who have entered the competition already there.

11:30am: Queen Camilla is now leaving Refettorio meeting members of the public along the way.

11:20am: King Charles is now watching an Indigenous dance performance by the Brolga Dance Academy.

11:05am: The cooking is now done & Queen Camilla has taken seat at a table in Refettorio to eat a meal.

11am: Queen Camilla is now meeting dignitaries at Refettorio before putting on an Oz Harvest apron to help cook.

10:55am: King Charles is meeting Elders (privately) & other dignitaries at the National Centre For Indigenous Excellence, where they conduct a Welcome To Country & smoking ceremony.

10:50am: King Charles has arrived at the National Centre For Indigenous Excellence in Redfern.

10:45am: Queen Camilla has just arrived at Refettorio, a restaurant in Surry Hills run by OzHarvest, a food rescue organisation.

10:35am: Welcome to Day 5, the big day, of our live blog! King Charles & Queen Camilla have just left Admiralty House separately by car. King Charles is heading to the National Centre For Indigenous Excellence in Redfern while Queen Camilla is heading to Refettorio, a Surry Hills restaurant.

21st of October

7:25pm: King Charles & Queen Camilla have returned to Admiralty House to rest for the remainder of the day before tomorrow’s big day. With that, that concludes our live blog for this 4th day of the Royal visits to Sydney. We will be back tomorrow at 10:30am to cover the 5th & biggest day of their visits to Sydney which begins with a visit to the National Centre For Indigenous Excellence in Redfern before culminating at 4:50pm Australian Eastern Daylight Time with the historic Monarchical Fleet Review on Sydney Harbour. Until then!

7:05pm: The Royal Australian Air Force Boeing 737 MAX 8 BBJ (‘EVY01’) business jet carrying King Charles & Queen Camilla has arrived at the private terminal. Their Majesties have hopped off the aircraft & entered a car, which is now taking them to Admiralty House at Kirribilli Point on the shores of Sydney Harbour, which they should reach in 20 minutes.

6:50pm: The Royal Australian Air Force Boeing 737 MAX 8 BBJ (‘EVY01’) business jet carrying King Charles & Queen Camilla has landed at Sydney Airport and is taxiing to the private terminal.

6:45pm: In the last few minutes, the Royal Australian Air Force Boeing 737 MAX 8 BBJ (‘EVY01’) business jet carrying King Charles & Queen Camilla entered Sydney’s airspace thus meaning they have returned to Sydney. They are currently flying over the north of the Sydney metropolitan area turning around for landing at Sydney Airport, which should happen shortly.

6:25pm: 5 minutes ago, King Charles & Queen Camilla on their Royal Australian Air Force Boeing 737 MAX 8 BBJ (‘EVY01’) have re-entered New South Wales (NSW) airspace thus meaning they have returned to NSW. They should be touching down in Sydney in 30 minutes.

5:10pm: Welcome back to our live blog of Day 4 of the Royal visits to Sydney! The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) has announced they will be showing the Monarchical Fleet Review in full tomorrow live on ABC News 24 in place of normal programming. The program called Royal Tour: King Charles In Sydney begins at 4pm & finishes at 6pm. King Charles & Queen Camilla are still in the Australian Capital Territory but will shortly return to New South Wales & Sydney.

11:40am: The Royal Australian Air Force Boeing 737 MAX 8 BBJ business jet (‘EVY01’) that is flying King Charles & Queen Camilla to Canberra has just left New South Wales (NSW) airspace. King Charles & Queen Camilla have, therefore, left NSW. With that, that concludes our live blog for now. We will be back later this afternoon to cover their return to New South Wales & Sydney.

11:20am: The Royal Australian Air Force Boeing 737 MAX 8 BBJ business jet (‘EVY01’) that is flying King Charles & Queen Camilla to Canberra has just left Sydney airspace. King Charles & Queen Camilla have, therefore, left Sydney.

11:15am: The Royal Australian Air Force Boeing 737 MAX 8 BBJ business jet (‘EVY01’) that is flying King Charles & Queen Camilla to Canberra has just taken off from Sydney Airport.

11:10am: King Charles & Queen Camilla have arrived at Sydney Airport’s private terminal & hopped on their Royal Australian Air Force Boeing 737 MAX 8 BBJ business jet (‘EVY01’), which is now taxiing to the runway.

10:55am: Welcome to Day 4 of our live blog! King Charles & Queen Camilla have just left Admiralty House by car for Sydney Airport to catch a flight to Canberra in the Australian Capital Territory.

20th of October

2:20pm: King Charles has finished his 2 audiences with the Australian Governor-General, Sam Mostyn & New South Wales Governor, Margaret Beazley. He & Queen Camilla will now rest for the remainder of the day at Admiralty House before making their trip to Canberra tomorrow. With that, that concludes our live blog for this 3rd day of the Royal visits. We will be back tomorrow to cover their departure from New South Wales to the Australian Capital Territory & their return.

1:15pm: King Charles is now back at Admiralty House where is holding 2 audiences – one with the Australian Governor-General, Sam Mostyn & the other with the New South Wales Governor, Margaret Beazley.

12:25pm: King Charles then left the New South Wales Parliament House & crossed Macquarie Street to make an unscheduled meet & greet with people in the crowd, shaking hands with several of them. He then hopped into a car for the trip back to Admiralty House where he will host a couple of audiences.

The reception celebrating the bicentenary of the Legislative Council means Friday night’s arrival at Sydney Airport was an official welcome in the end, though not a public one, with Canberra’s welcome at Parliament House tomorrow being entirely ceremonial & public. This means Monarchical Welcomes are still traditionally celebrated in Sydney for the 1st visit of the reigning monarch.

12:15pm: King Charles was led by Legislative Council President, Ben Franklin, to a new painting by indigenous artist Kim Healey, which was commissioned to mark the Legislative Council’s bicentenary, in the New South Wales (NSW) Parliament House lobby. Featuring the Southern Cross as a symbol of guidance for all Australians, the painting is the 1st from an Indigenous artist in the building.

He was then taken past an exhibition on the Legislative Council, before arriving in the Strangers’ Function Room where at a reception for the Legislative Council bicentenary begun.

Sorry to interrupt your lunch.

Charles R

Trumpeters from NSW Police played as he walked into the room before being introduced as the King Of Australia. King Charles spoke to a few of the members of Parliament, including Kellie Sloane & James Griffin, Legislative Assembly member for the district of Vaucluse & Manly respectively, as he walked into the room before heading to the lectern to make a speech at 12pm.

President of the Legislative Council, Governor & Mr Wilson, Premier, Chief Justice, State Parliamentarians, distinguished guests, ladies & gentlemen.

Having been with you for your 150th anniversary, I am delighted & proud to be able to return to the Parliament of New South Wales, in order to celebrate the occasion of your bicentenary. I would be saying more at a reception in Canberra tomorrow but, uh, I cannot let this opportunity pass without saying a few words to mark this most important milestone.

It is fascinating, I think, to reflect back to, to 200 years ago & thinking about those times makes me wonder what that inaugural handful of members of the New South Wales Legislative Council would make of this Parliament today & of how this great state has progressed. Those original Council members were, as I understand it, squeezed into the old Government House not far from here & then moved into borrowed rooms, uh, in this building. From that vantage point, regardless of their optimism, it, uh, was, no doubt impossible to imagine what is now the vast, uh, & vibrant state of New South Wales which has grown & evolved alongside this legislature – alongside this legislature. To reflect on, uh, the story of this institution & this state, is to see the promise & power of representative democracy.

Generations of voices have been brought together for discussion & debate, grappling with each day’s challenges & opportunities, holding power to account & driving meaningful change. Democratic systems must evolve, of course, to remain fit for purpose but they are, nevertheless, essentially sound systems as I said in this building 50 years ago. When underpinned by wisdom & good faith, democracy has, I believe, an extraordinary capacity for innovation, comprise & adaptability as well as stability. Moreover, strong parliamentary systems like the one we celebrate on this special occasion are fundamental to the democracies that serve today’s diverse societies & are even more vital given the ever changing natural, social, economic & technological environment. Since I was here, uh, in 1974 & incidentally, I first came to Australia nearly, nearly 60 years ago, which is slightly worrying, this place & 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 & in the spirit of marking the passage of time, it is my great pleasure to present a small gift to the Parliament. It, t, is, in fact, an hourglass – a speech timer – to sit in the chamber & bear witness to the Legislative Council’s next chapter so with the sounds of time encouraging brevity, it just remains for me to say what a great joy it is to come to Australia for the 1st time as sovereign & to renew a love of this country and its people, which I have cherished for so long so thank you, thank you ladies & gentlemen for making me feel so very welcome.

Thank you.

Charles R

After the speech, he unveiled an hourglass to be used to time speeches in the Legislative Council, which he turned upside for the 1st time. It was handmade by the Goldsmiths’ Centre in London, with a cedar base using wood from the King’s Highgrove home. The NSW Chief Justice, Andrew Bell was in attendance at this reception. The King will shortly leave the New South Wales Parliament House to return to Admiralty House for a couple of audiences.

11:50am: King Charles has arrived at the New South Wales Parliament House, where a crowd of several hundred had gathered outside. The King was met by NSW Governor, Margaret Beazley, the Legislative Council President, Ben Franklin, the Legislative Assembly Speaker, Greg Piper & 2 senior parliamentary officials. They walked down a red carpet to the stairs they take them inside to the reception celebrating the Legislative Council’s bicentenary.

11:30am: King Charles & Queen Camilla have left Saint Thomas’ Anglican Church in North Sydney & in a surprise, met the cheering crowd of hundreds waving the Union Jack before hopping in different cars with King Charles heading to the New South Wales Parliament House for a reception celebrating the bicentenary of the Legislative Council. Queen Camilla’s destination is Admiralty House to rest for the remainder of the day.

10:35am: King Charles & Queen Camilla have arrived at Saint Thomas’ Anglican Church in North Sydney to a cheering crowd of hundreds waving the Union Jack. They met children from a local Sunday school, who they shook hands with & where King Charles was presented with a rugby ball, cricket ball & stuffed koala, for his grandchildren Princes George and Louis & Princess Charlotte.

They then entered the Church for a service, finishing at 11:30am, when North Sydney residents can see them.

10:25am: King Charles & Queen Camilla have left Admiralty House, where Royal fans had been waiting outside its gates, in a motorcade with police escort for Saint Thomas’ Anglican Church in North Sydney.

8:10am: Welcome to Day 3 of our live blog! After leaving Saint Thomas’ Anglican Church in a few hours’ time, King Charles will head to the New South Wales (NSW) Parliament House’s Legislative Council at 11:50am to celebrate its bicentenary with a gift & meet NSW Premier Chris Minns. At 12:20pm, he will then head back to Admiralty House to hold audiences with the Australian Governor-General, Sam Mostyn & the NSW Governor, Margaret Beazley.

Later this week, he will also attend & participate in an Indigenous smoking ceremony with Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander communities, becoming the 1st reigning Australian monarch to participate in one.

19th Of October

8:30pm: King Charles & Queen Camilla have remained at Admiralty House over the past 3 hours meaning they have not attended The Everest horse racing meeting, preferring a full rest day, especially the Monarch from jet lag accumulated from his trip from London. Queen Camilla came from Singapore, a shorter but still lengthy flight – about 8 hours long.

That concludes our live blog for this 2nd day of the Royal visits. We will be back at 11:30am for their appearance leaving Saint Thomas’ Anglican Church in North Sydney.

5:45pm: King Charles & Queen Camilla have remained at Admiralty House over the past hour meaning the Monarch has missed a horse race held at Royal Randwick Racecourse in his honour. It is now highly likely, though not unexpected, that King Charles & Queen Camilla will make the most of their rest day to, understandably, rest, especially the Monarch from jet lag, due to his recent trip from London on the other side of the world to Sydney via Singapore where his wife joined him.

4:45pm: The New South Wales Government has announced that North Sydney residents will be able to see King Charles & Queen Camilla leave a service at Saint Thomas’ Anglican Church at 11.30am tomorrow (Sunday 20 October).

Those attending cannot bring umbrellas, banners, bulky equipment, large cameras or bags. Saint Thomas’ Anglican Church is on the corner of McLaren & Church Streets. Members of the North Sydney community must arrive at McLaren Street to access the Church lawns no later than 11am to avoid road closures & for possible security screening. Space around the Church is very limited & amenities are limited and publicly minimal.

Non-North Sydneysiders will have another chance to see Their Majesties at the Sydney Opera House & during the Monarchical Fleet Review on Tuesday 22 October.

Meanwhile, King Charles & Queen Camilla have remained at Admiralty House for the past hour including missing The Everest horse race at Royal Randwick Racecourse. The King Charles III Stakes horse race is at 5:35pm Australian Eastern Daylight Time.

3:45pm: The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has announced that the Australian Governor-General & Commander-In-Chief Of The ADF, Sam Mostyn, has appointed King Charles the honorary ranks of:

• Field Marshal of the Australian Army,
• Marshal of the Royal Australian Air Force &
• Admiral Of The Fleet of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN),

The latter honorary appointment is notable given King Charles will conduct a Fleet Review on Sydney Harbour on Tuesday afternoon.

Charles has held the title of Colonel-In-Chief of the Royal Australian Armoured Corps since 1977.

The Governor-General Of Australia & Commander-in-Chief of the Australian Defence Force, Her Excellency The Honourable Sam Mostyn, Companion of the Order Of Australia (AC), said His Majesty’s appointments were an important symbol of connection, stability & strength:

Australians share His Majesty’s pride in the ADF, its sailors, soldiers and aviators & the loved ones who support them.

Her Excellency The Honourable Sam Mostyn AC, The Governor-General Of Australia & Commander-in-Chief of the Australian Defence Force

Chief of the Australian Defence Force, Admiral David Johnston, AC, RAN, said His Majesty’s honorary ranks reflected Australia’s close relationship with reigning monarchs:

The Sovereign serves as an example of service & His Majesty’s appointments are symbolic of the Royal Family’s longstanding dedication and relationship with the nation.

Since Australian Federation in 1901, Australia’s military forces have been custodians of great traditions connected to the Commonwealth & 123 years later, the Australian Defence Force is proud to continue this legacy.

Admiral David Johnston AC, RAN, Chief of the Australian Defence Force

Meanwhile, King Charles & Queen Camilla have remained at Admiralty House in the past 45 minutes.

3:10pm: The Australian Defence Force has announced Tuesday’s Fleet Review flypasts will begin at 5:07pm with MH-60R ‘Romeo’ and EC-135 helicopters from the Royal Australian Navy & UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters from the Australian Army. The Fleet Review will conclude at 5:20pm with an F/A-18F Super Hornet, EA-18G Growler and 2 F-35A Lightning II jets from the Royal Australian Air Force. All aircraft will fly from HMAS Watson naval base on South Head to Admiralty House on Kirribilli Point, all on Sydney Harbour.

A rehearsal of the jet flypasts will also occur at 1:20pm on Monday the 21st of October.

Meanwhile, King Charles & Queen Camilla have remained at Admiralty House so far today.

9:10am: Welcome to Day 2 of our live blog! King Charles & Queen Camilla, through The Royal Family’s X account posted the following, with the 1st sentence referring to the Sydney Opera House projection show:

Thank you for the special welcome, Australia!

It was a pleasure to meet Prime Minister Anthony Albanese & Ms Haydon, upon arrival in Sydney.

Charles R & Camilla R

12:05am: The Sydney Opera House projections just concluded. 55 minutes less than we were promised due to the weather and a cruise ship. No doubt the private meeting at Admiralty House between King Charles, Queen Camilla, the Australian Prime Minister & his partner has concluded thus ending the 1st day of the Royal couple’s visits to Sydney. Later today, the Royal couple will have a rest day but the question on many pundits’ lips is will they rest at the horse races? As at 5:35pm is the King Charles III Stakes\at Royal Randwick Racecourse.

If they visit, we will cover it on our live blog though it will be an unofficial event if they do visit. That concludes our live blog for this 1st day of the Royal visits. Until next time!

18th Of October

9:10pm: Here at Dawes Point, spectators and tourists in their hundreds have their cameras pointing to the Sydney Opera House. International media from the United Kingdom and Japan are documenting the historic projection show & interviewing attendees. 2 low-flying helicopters, most likely New South Wales Police, appear above, indicating King Charles & Queen Camilla are nearing Admiralty House with the Australian Prime Minister and his partner. They crossed the Sydney Harbour Bridge at this time.

9pm: At the Sydney Opera House, the storms had past & Queen Elizabeth departed, allowing the Sydney Opera House projections to begin! The 4-minute loop, in biographical format, showcased photos from the life of Charles (excluding Diana, Princess Of Wales) from his trips to Australia with the most recent images including Camilla when she accompanied him to Australia as Duke & Duchess Of Cornwall. The show concludes with the official Australian photo portrait of King Charles III & Queen Camilla.

8:45pm: BREAKING NEWS King Charles has became the 2nd Australian Monarch to step on Australian soil, following his mother Queen Elizabeth II who did the same thing, though for the 1st time, in 1954. Queen Camilla was by his side, both wearing what they wore in their official Australian photo portraits minus regalia though Queen Camilla did wear the Australian Wattle Brooch. The King wore a different jacket than the one in the portrait. They were greeted by the Australian Governor-General & Prime Minister as well as the NSW Governor & Premier amongst other dignitaries, their spouses & in the NSW Premier’s case, his mum. 2 North Adelaide residents, a 18-year-old sister & 12-year-old brother, Charlotte & Ky Exelby, the latter diagnosed with a serious blood disorder with the sister providing a bone marrow transplant to her brother, presented Queen Camilla with a bouquet of posies & talked with King Charles, fulfilling a lifelong wish thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

The weather’s bad but it reminds me of England.

Charles R

The Royal couple then hopped into a car and left Sydney Airport with escort in tow, heading for Admiralty House on the shores of Sydney Harbour for a private meeting with the Australian Prime Minister & a spot of tea.

8:30pm: King Charles III & Queen Camilla have landed at Sydney Airport as the Sydney Opera House Projections have been delayed for unknown reasons. It could be to wait for King Charles to shortly make his 1st steps on Australian soil or more likely due to the storm front or a delayed Cunard cruise ship, ironically, the Queen Elizabeth, that was due to leave the Overseas Passenger Terminal, a known location for the Opera House projectors, at 7pm, over 1.5 hours ago, delayed probably due to the storms.

7:05pm: Welcome to this live blog of Their Majesties King Charles III & Queen Camilla’s visits to Sydney.

In the last few minutes, their Royal Australian Air Force Boeing 737 MAX 8 BBJ (‘ASY352’) business jet entered New South Wales airspace over the northwest corner of the state! They are due to touchdown at Sydney Airport at 8pm with the Sydney Opera House projection show of their previous visits to Australia beginning 15 minutes prior.

The New South Wales (NSW) Police Force today begun Operation Royal Visit, which will run until Wednesday the 23rd of October.

Planning for the Operation has taken place over many months with the NSW Police Force working with partner agencies, including the United Kingdom Royal & Specialist Protection Team, to provide an operational response.

As part of the Operation, a number of traffic diversions and road closures will be implemented.

Police will be deployed throughout the Operation to manage the movement of King Charles III and Queen Camilla between engagements & to provide a safe environment for other visiting dignitaries and the community.

In Kirribilli, a special event clearway will be operation from 5pm today until Wednesday at the southern end of Carabella Street & the eastern end of Kirribilli Avenue.

Members of the public are also reminded to familiarise themselves with rules relating to operating drones in restricted areas as anyone who breaches no-fly zones will be dealt with appropriately.