On this visit, the monarch was invited for a lunch with a menu “fit for a king“: chargrilled asparagus and olive dust; marinated octopus and squid ink wafer; barramundi and duck confit.
Before lunch started, Charles presented parliament with an hourglass “figure”speech timer,” a gift he said symbolizes the “passage of time.”
The hourglass stands on a cedar base with wood supplied from the King’s Highgrove home and is handmade by the Goldsmiths’ Centre in London.
“With the sands of time encouraging brevity, it just remains for me to say what a great joy it is to come to Australia for the first time as sovereign and to renew a love of this country and its people which I have cherished for so long,” Charles told Parliament.
He ended his brief speech by saying, “So thank you. Thank you. Thank you for making me feel so very welcome. Thank you.”
Flipping the hourglass himself, the assembly watched as sand slowly slipped through the bulb. Seconds later, the king departed, missing the first course of the meal that was given in his honor.
He was only there for 10 minutes, speculating concerns that his battle with cancer is impacting his ability to serve his royal duties.
Weighing in on the demands of his 11-day trip, royal expert Daniela Elser writes of the king’s resilience and says his commitment is a story “about a sick man who [is] doggedly determined to pause his cancer treatment to fly 44 hours round-trip for a whistlestop visit, and all at considerable risk.”
“It’s hard to ignore the signs of the wear that the events of this year are taking on the king,” she adds.
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