Charles and Camilla to join Sydney church congregation as Australia tour begins

The King and Queen will begin their landmark tour of Australia in earnest when they join a church congregation for Sunday service.

Sydney Opera House was lit up with a rolling four-minute projection of images of Charles and Camilla to mark the monarch’s first visit to Australia as King.

The royal couple will join members of St Thomas’ Anglican Church in north Sydney for a service officiated by the Archbishop of Sydney, the Most Reverend Kanishka Raffel.

Crowds have been told by the New South Wales government where to gather to see the royal couple after the service, and it is likely the King and Queen will meet some of the wellwishers.

An image was released on Saturday, a rest day for the royal couple, showing the King and Queen after they arrived at Admiralty House, the official residence of Australia’s governor-general, which has a view over the landmark opera house.

The couple were said to be touched by the gesture of the major tourist attraction being lit up in their honour.

Charles’s historic trip has been marked by his appointed to the honorary ranks of Admiral of the Fleet, Field Marshal and Marshal in the three services of the Australian Defence Force (ADF).

Australia’s governor-general Sam Mostyn, the ADF’s commander in chief, made the appointments and said they were an important symbol of connection, stability and strength.

Admiral David Johnston, chief of the defence force, said the King’s honorary ranks reflected Australia’s close relationship with reigning monarchs: “The sovereign serves as an example of service, and 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, and 123 years later the Australian Defence Force is proud to continue this legacy.”

The Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) has announced the launch of a King’s Commonwealth Fellowship Programme inspired by Charles and his life’s work to create opportunity and to tackle contemporary challenges including climate change and inequality.

The programme has been developed in response to urgent economic, social and environmental development challenges affecting small island developing states (Sids).

The King said: “I am delighted to support this important new initiative. Throughout my life I have believed in the power of education to improve lives and unite communities across the Commonwealth and beyond.

“There is so much we can learn from one another as we work together within the Commonwealth to tackle the major challenges of our age and, as these fellowships do in small island developing states, to address them where they are felt most acutely.

“It is my fervent hope that these new fellowships will play a significant role in furthering the free exchange of knowledge and advancing the spirit of mutual support that lies at the heart of our Commonwealth – today, tomorrow and towards a brighter future for all.”

The new academic programme will offer fellowships for mid-career professionals, undergraduate scholarships, and PhDs with activities taking place in-country, with an emphasis on local impact and retaining skills and talent in Sids regions.

The programme aims to strengthen climate resilience, build capacity in education, health and engineering, and develop resilient public services and the skills of those who support them.

The Commonwealth has 25 small island developing states, including the Pacific nations of Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.