What would you do to catch a glimpse of Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwell? Well, if you’re like scores of royal admirers in Brisbane today, you will have grabbed your poncho and stood in the rain just to see the two walk by…
Well, onlookers got more than they had hoped for, with Charles and Camilla shaking hands with fans following a 21-gun salute at Kangaroo Point. After that, the pair then met Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove at Old Government House in Brisbane.
Charles greeting fans who waited for he and Camilla in the rain in Brisbane.
Juliet Rieden, The Australian Women’s Weekly‘s editor-at-large and royal correspondent, is currently on tour with Charles and Camilla in Queensland as the royal couple attend various events as part of their commitment to opening the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.
And while her eye is firmly fixed on following Charles and Camilla during the Prince’s 16th visit to Australia, she has also seen how he and Camilla have touched the hearts of many Aussie royalists (so much so that Noela Fleming, Joan Baumer and Tricia Unwin, who met in the crowd in Brisbane’s Botanical Gardens hoping to spy the royal couple, had waited for four hours and were thrilled when both Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall stopped to say hello).
Noela, Joan and Tricia standing in the rain to see their favourite royals.
“I shook both of their hands, ” Noela tells The Weekly. “I’m shaking. The Prince’s were chunky. The Duchess’s were soft and delicate. She’s so beautiful and I told her so.”
All three are ardent royalists and are really happy that Prince Charles will be Australia’s King one day, and that they have had the chance to meet him.
“I feel differently about them now I’ve met them,” says Noela. “They were very approachable and looked really happy together,” added Joan.
More to come as the tour progresses…
This afternoon, Charles and Camilla will visit the Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital, then head to the Gold Coast for the Commonwealth Games’ opening ceremony.
Follow Juliet’s LIVE coverage of Prince Charles and Camilla’s royal Commonwealth Games tour, follow her on Twitter @JulietRieden.
