24 October, 2024

Sean Coughlan Royal Correspondent Welcome to Royal Watch. King Charles and Queen Camilla have finished their Australian tour, with big crowds greeting them outside the Sydney Opera House on their last day, and are now in Samoa for the Commonwealth summit. More on the indigenous senator who heckled the King below. ‌ Meanwhile back in the UK, we’ll hear about a project close to Prince William’s heart. And that’s not just his football team Aston Villa.

What legacy for the royal tour?   What makes a royal visit a success? When does it become a more complicated story? Buckingham Palace will have been delighted that the King and Queen got such a warm welcome from crowds gathered in the Australian sunshine. ‌ The royal couple covered a wide range of engagements over a few days - everything from formal meetings with politicians, to social housing projects, meeting the indigenous community, attending a naval review and a community barbecue.

The King and Queen visited Parramatta Park in western Sydney and joined locals for a barbecue. Credit: Getty There will have been relief too that the King, who has been treated for cancer, seemed to cope well with a demanding schedule. There were times earlier this year when it would have been seen as an achievement that the visit went ahead at all.

Lidia Thorpe was escorted out by security after she heckled King Charles. Credit: Reuters But there was also that headline-grabbing interruption when senator Lidia Thorpe heckled the King in Parliament House in Canberra. Those big media moments go round the planet so far and so fast - the kind of lightning-bolt event that gives nightmares to spin doctors. With a few shouted words it opens up the whole debate about republicanism and the treatment of indigenous people.  ‌ With the Australia trip over, the palace will be hoping that the gentler, warmer welcomes will be remembered - rather than any protest. The King is now in Samoa for the meeting of Commonwealth leaders - with some countries planning to raise the issue of reparations over the transatlantic slave trade. Commonwealth leaders to defy UK on slavery reparations   King’s Australia visit ends on a positive note   Australian senator heckles King

For William, it’s personal Prince William’s support for homelessness charities - such as The Passage - seems to have become a defining characteristic. ‌ In a two-part ITV documentary about his Homewards project, which is out in the UK next week, the Prince of Wales can be spotted helping out at The Passage in central London. It’s a place he’s been going to since he was first taken as an 11-year-old by his mother Diana, where they met homeless people who went for help and friendship.

Princess Diana with Harry and William at The Passage charity in 1993. Credit: Kensington Palace In public and private visits, William's links to The Passage always sound like an emotional connection, one tied to his mother’s work, as well as his own. “For William this is personal,” the charity’s head, Mick Clarke, told the BBC.

William says he wants to make use of his public platform to campaign against homelessness. Credit: Getty In a trailer for the documentary, Prince William says: “I don’t believe we should be living with homelessness in the 21st Century”. The documentary will offer more insight into how he sees his role as Prince of Wales to help those in need.