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Thursday, December 19, 2024

Anticipation builds for Royal visit to Canberra

Anyone hoping to catch a glimpse of King Charles and Queen Camilla during their visit to Canberra will only have a small window of opportunity.

The royal couple will only be in Canberra for one day, Monday 21 October.

Members of the public can see the royal couple at the Australian War Memorial at 12:35pm, Parliament House at 1pm, or during a meet and greet on the forecourt at 2:10pm.

Many locals are reminiscing on past Royal visits, from Princess Diana to Queen Elizabeth II, while others are excited for the upcoming trip.

Priya Badrinarayan told CD that she, along with her husband, had the opportunity to ‘say hello’ to Prince Charles and Duchess of Cornwall Camilla at the Australian War Memorial on their last visit, which was in 2015.

“We also attended the Australian Parliament House when Prince Charles was proclaimed as King (in September 2022),” she said.

“We both are hoping to catch them again and meet them as King and Queen.”

Nicole Evans, who is originally from England but moved to Canberra months ago, said she loved the royals and was “very” excited for the visit.

“I am having my firstborn in January and I’m considering the name Lilibet after the late Queen,” she said.

Paul Graver used to live across from the royal family at Wellington Barracks (near Buckingham Palace).

“Charles, on a visit to our stables, once asked me about playing a musical instrument on horseback,” Mr Graver said.

“Being in the Band of the Blues and Royals and a state trumpeter gave me an opportunity to be present at many engagements attended by the royal family.

“Andrew Parker Bowles was an officer in our regiment and was considered ‘one of the boys’.”

Paul Graver during his military days in England.

Demi Naylor reminisced on her late grandparents telling her about past Royal visits.

“Princess Diana passed a couple of weeks after my father died (in 1997) and I’m only a year older than Prince William,” Ms Naylor said.

“I remember so vividly the card that said ‘Mummy’ on top of the coffin (at Princess Diana’s funeral).

“Grieving a parent as a teen is so difficult and doing it publicly must have made that so much worse.

“Even now with so many public struggles, they have been fabulous in trying to still promote the good.”

Charmaine Barratt was only 11 years old when Charles and Diana visited Erindale on 25 March 1983.

“I shook their hands as they walked into the library,” she said.

“I was one of two kids picked from Mount Neighbour (Primary School) to attend.”

Maureen Sandilands still has an invitation card her grandparents received to attend a welcome lunch in Canberra to welcome Queen Elizabeth II during her 1954 visit.

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