As 10,000 Australians waited patiently outside the Sydney Opera House for the arrival of the King and Queen, most were unaware that two police snipers were watching their every move.
Some eagle-eyed royal fans spotted the snipers on Tuesday, one perched atop one of the Opera House’s sails and the second parked atop a nearby building.
The shooters were dressed in black and had a scarf that covered half their faces. They also wore a black cap and sunglasses.
Similar police snipers were seen atop the Australian War Memorial during Their Majesties’ visit to Canberra on Monday.
A police helicopter was also seen flying over the Opera House as the King and Queen left.
The high level of security has a good reason: Charles was once shot with a starter pistol by student David Kang, 23, during a visit to Sydney in 1994.
The then-Prince, who was in Sydney to mark Australia Day, remained remarkably calm when Kang, now a lawyer, was tackled to the ground by security.
As 10,000 Australians waited patiently outside the Sydney Opera House for the arrival of the King and Queen, most were unaware that two police snipers were watching their every move.
The sniper can be seen in the crowd at one of the Sydney Opera House sails.
Two snipers were monitoring the crowd at the Opera this Tuesday
The shooters were dressed in black and had a scarf that covered half their faces. They also wore a black cap and sunglasses.
Appearing slightly perturbed as two shots were fired, the King was hailed as “His Royal Coolness” as he dusted himself off and continued his speech in Sydney’s Tumbalong Park.
Kang later said he carried out the stunt to highlight the plight of Cambodian asylum seekers detained in detention camps in Australia.
He was arrested before being found guilty of threatening unlawful violence and sentenced to 500 hours of community service.
Footage of the incident showed Charles reacting to the gunshots before Kang, dressed in a white T-shirt and jeans, took to the stage as horrified schoolchildren and other attendees looked on.
The King’s bodyguard, Superintendent Colin Trimming, was seen shouldering his boss out of the way before running towards the gunman to assess the threat.
Charles was not injured in the ordeal.
A sniper is seen in one of the sails when the King and Queen arrived.
Snipers formed a large police presence during royal visit to Australia