Officials were left disappointed after expecting a “royal flush” when King Charles visited the New South Wales Parliament in Sydney yesterday.
They secretly hoped that the sovereign would be tempted to take advantage of their facilities during an engagement, known in the royal household as a “comfort break.”
That is because, according to Australian Daily Telegraph, MPs were desperately hoping to finally get their money’s worth after expensive bathroom renovations 30 years ago ahead of Queen Elizabeth’s visit.
Apparently no expense was spared for the 1992 visit, and the bathroom was specifically upgraded before Her Majesty’s arrival, to ensure it was “soundproof”.
The bathroom renovations are believed to have cost about A$18,000 (£9,263) at the time – the equivalent of about $40,000 (£30,000) in today’s money – and taxpayers footed the bill.
Officials were left disappointed after expecting a “royal flush” when King Charles (pictured) visited the New South Wales Parliament in Sydney yesterday.
King Charles and Camilla yesterday took on their first full day of engagements on their five-day tour of Australia.
The bathroom is located in the office of the president of the Upper House, which was allocated to the Queen and Prince Philip as a place to “rest” between parliamentary engagements.
Despite the expensive soundproofing, those familiar with the event say there is “no evidence” the Queen ever used the facilities, the newspaper reported.
And anyone who knows much about royal engagements will understand that members of the royal family rarely do.
The King is known to not even drink water during daytime visits unless necessary to minimize the need to do so.
The newspaper quoted MPs who had been joking that the Speaker of the Upper House, Ben Franklin, had “a job” for when King Charles attended parliament.
“Ben has a KPI: make sure the King uses the bathroom so we can get our money’s worth,” one joked.
At the event, Her Majesty was in the building for only 20 minutes, meeting, greeting representatives and giving a short speech.
The late Queen photographed on a visit to Paris in 1992. Apparently no expense was spared for the 1992 visit, and the bathroom was specifically upgraded before Her Majesty’s arrival, to ensure it was “soundproof”.
The royal family was photographed yesterday taking a walk together on their first morning in Australia, on the first day of their five-day visit to the country.
On Sunday, Charles and Camilla arrived in northern Sydney for their first full day of royal engagements.
Arriving at St Thomas’ Anglican Church in the morning, they were greeted with the warmest of welcomes on Sunday, with groups of fans gathering to catch a glimpse of British royalty.
Camilla, dressed in a pale green Anna Valentine dress and straw hat, received a corsage before being greeted by the Archbishop of Sydney, the Most Reverend Kanishka Raffel and the Bishop of North Sydney, the Most Reverend Chris Edwards.
On Sunday, Charles and Camilla arrived in northern Sydney for their first full day of royal engagements.
Arriving at St Thomas’ Anglican Church in the morning, they were greeted with the warmest of welcomes, with groups of fans gathering to catch a glimpse of British royalty.
As they were presented with armloads of flowers, toy koalas and even some kangaroo jerky, the couple were repeatedly thanked for making the long journey, particularly in light of Her Majesty’s ongoing cancer treatment.
Fans waiting inside the church grounds, including dozens of Sunday school children, were excited to shake hands with the King and Queen.
Camilla, dressed in a pale green Anna Valentine dress and straw hat, received a corsage before being greeted by the Archbishop of Sydney, the Most Reverend Kanishka Raffel and the Bishop of North Sydney, the Most Reverend Chris Edwards.
Inside, the Archbishop highlighted the royal history of St Thomas before the Reverend Michael Mantle, Rector of the Parish of North Sydney began by welcoming the royal guests, saying: “It is a huge honor for us to welcome you to our church this morning.
At the conclusion of the hour-long service, the King and Queen were wished safe travels for the rest of their journey before heading to the front where they signed Australia’s first Bible and a book of common prayer.
The couple are staying at Admiralty House, the official residence of Australia’s Governor-General, which has panoramic views across Sydney Harbor to the Opera House.
The couple are staying at Admiralty House, the official residence of Australia’s Governor-General, which has panoramic views across Sydney Harbor to the Opera House.
Fans waiting inside the church grounds, including dozens of Sunday school children, were excited to shake hands with the King and Queen.
All members of the Royal Family have signed the Bible, which belonged to the Reverend Richard Johnson, the first Christian minister to Australia, on previous royal visits.
The late Queen Elizabeth signed it in 1954 during the first visit of a reigning monarch to these shores, and the archbishop said the Bible “represents a significant history of this church and nation.”
The royals were pictured taking a walk together on their first morning in Australia, the first day of their five-day visit to the country.
The couple were seen wandering the lawns of Admiralty House in Kirribilli, on Sydney’s north shore, on the first day of their visit.
Her Majesty cut a casual yet elegant figure in a blue open-necked shirt paired with a beige sports jacket and cream chinos, while Camilla opted for a dark blue sundress and matching cardigan.
The Queen looked effortlessly elegant as she admired the gardens behind a pair of sunglasses, while Charles squinted in the bright morning sun.
The pair were seen chatting with the King’s bearded personal bodyguard and other members of his security team.
On Friday night, the Opera House’s sails were illuminated with images of previous royal visits to Australia.
The lighting of the monument was organized even though the New South Wales (NSW) government had ruled out a similar proposal for the Coronation due to cost.
The royal visit is the couple’s first trip to Australia since Charles became king in 2022.