Prince Charles and Camilla spent their second day in Australia carrying out a number of engagements, including a visit to the Athletes Village at the Commonwealth Games and heading to the beach.
The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall began the day meeting the Governor of Queensland, plus his wife and dog!
Prince Charles and Camilla met the Governor of Queensland Mrs de Jersey and dog Gavel at the start of Day 2 of the #RoyalVisitAustralia (clarence house)
It was then to the Athlete’s Village, accompanied by Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Lucy Turnbull. On the tour of the village, the royal couple made a stop at the Prosthetics Workshop, which hosts a team of experts who help support the athletes. The workshop brings together expertise from a range of areas, including orthotics, prosthetics, wheelchair technicians and welders.
The Athletes Village is host to over 6,600 athletes and officials. The dining area will serve over 20,000 meals every day, operating 24/7 with 300 food choices available from nations around the Commonwealth.
Prince Charles and Camilla toured the athlete’s village (clarence house)
After this year’s games, the $550 million development will be transformed into a mixed-use neighbourhood within the Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct. The facilities will also be used as a habitat for native Australian animals, including Koalas and Cockatoos.
The couple showed off their sense of fun, having a game of table tennis (not against one another!) and also got to snack on some of the fresh fruit.
the duchess of cornwall plays table tennis in the commonwealth games athletes village (clarence house)
Camilla had a brief go before saying: “I think I’ll leave it to the professionals.”
But Caitlin Parker, her 21-year-old boxer opponent, declared: “She smashed it!”
Following the tour, The Prince of Wales held a 30 minute audience with Malcolm Turnbull, the (republican) Prime Minister of Australia.
The future King and Queen then continued with their busy schedule by visiting the Commonwealth Hub at Broadbeach to unveil the final plaque on the Commonwealth Walkway. The 10km Commonwealth Walkway is the first of its kind outside Britain. It starts at the historic Southport Chambers, and finishes at the City of Gold Coast Council Chambers.
the prince of wales and duchess of cornwall unveil a plaque on the commonwealth walkway in Broadbeach (clarence house)
Charles and Camilla were accompanied by Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate, and met young people from Robina High School involved in the Sport 2 Clean programme. The non-profit programme promotes sports, conservation and sustainable use of oceans. It aims to educate local students about the environment, while teaching them how to surf or paddleboard.
Their Royal Highness also watched a beach rescue drill by Surf Life Saving Queensland. The organisation provides lifesaving services, community education, and fundraising training. The group hopes to teach more people about the importance of safety on the over 780 Queensland beaches.
Despite her husband’s warning (“Don’t go in Darling!”) Camilla took off her shoes for the beach walk, and also had a brief paddle in the shallows.
The Prince and the Duchess then met with supporters of the Welsh Commonwealth Games team, who are based nearby.
After this, Charles held an audience with Bill Shorten, the Leader of the Opposition and Dame Patsy Reddy, the Governor-General of New Zealand, before attending the final engagement of the day: swimming events at the Commonwealth Games!
Charles, 69, presented medals for the Women’s 200m Freestyle and Men’s Para-Sport 200m Freestyle race events. He was accompanied by Samantha Riley, an Australian Olympian, who gave the Prince an overview of the event and commentary.
Meanwhile, Camilla was busy presenting medals for the Men’s 1000m Time Trial Para-Sport Tandem and the Women’s Team Pursuit cycling events. For the former, who were blind and visually impaired, the gold went to Scotland, silver Wales and bronze to Australia.
The Duchess was accompanied by Commonwealth Games Ambassador Anna Meares. The velodrome that hosted the event is named after Anna Meares and is Queensland’s first indoor velodrome.
camilla, the duchess of cornwall hands australia their bronze medals for the men’s (blind and visually impaired) 100m time trial (clarence house)
1 comment
Dear prince charles and camilla , please take a enjoyable trip in australia