Charles and Camilla's last visit to Australia? Journey to the End of Hell!

April 4, 2018 at Brisbane Airport, the capital of the state of Queensland – named “Queen's Country” in honor of Victoria. Exhausted and broken from travel and “jet lag”, then Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, took it in stride and smiled at the cameras and the dignitaries who greeted her and Prince Charles. A pioneer, Camilla, who doesn't like long-haul flights, shouldn't have been on the trip! However, at the last moment she decided to go with her husband.

The region is particularly known for its sunny tropical climate. Invited by Queensland's Labor Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, the Prince of Wales and his wife will open the 21st Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, which stretches fifty kilometers along the Pacific coast and an hour's drive north of Brisbane.

Jet lag and anger among indigenous peoples

Come evening, with the opening ceremony in full swing, the Duchess of Cornwall will appear “boring” to some important visitors at the Carrara Stadium. Lewis Martin, the head of the Commonwealth Games Federation, would later be forced to clarify: “She was suffering from jet lag and had just got off the plane that morning. Her only respite was sitting in the car. Brisbane came here. Then she changed 20 minutes before going to another festival. She's a long way. Really hated flying. She really wanted to go to sleep.”

A hyper-vigilant Charles is still having some trouble extracting a document Elizabeth II placed on the traditional “Queen's staff” sealed at Buckingham 288 days ago. flame). “My wife and I couldn't be happier to be joining you on the Gold Coast and millions of viewers in homes across the Commonwealth,” he told a packed stadium. His Majesty asked me to deliver a message. The ancient stories told by the tribes remind us that even if you are on the other side of the world, we are all connected. Friendly games showed the ability of sport to bring people from different countries and backgrounds together.”

A few hours earlier, some tribesmen had expressed their displeasure in front of the stadium's gates, shouting “no justice, no game”. The show, which began in pouring rain, saw an “animatronic” white whale (named “Mikaloo”) hovering above the audience, while a spectacular fireworks display exploded into the night sky.

A tough express visit to Camila

The next day, April 5, Camilla, in a flowy pink knee-length dress with a scarf and white trousers, would walk barefoot on the sands of Broadbeach, taking a few steps on the hand of Charles in an elegant beige dress. Tie and brown moccasins! The pair will pose with the Games' iconic blue koala statue “Porobi” before launching the Commonwealth Memorial Walk. Federal Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, a Liberal and Republican, however, in the company of his wife Lucy, presented the princely couple with the honors of the Sportsmen's Village. It is true that the Australian government has recognized Charles' right to succeed his mother as head of the Commonwealth.

Certainly recovering from her exhaustion from the day before, Camilla will play some doubles table tennis exchanges with Lucy Turnbull against Australian boxers Caitlin Parker and Anja Stritzman, while Charles will compete with the youngster from Tuvalu! The following day, April 6, the Duchess of Cornwall will fly back to England. For his part, Charles will continue his trip to the Northern Territory till April 10. As for the Commonwealth Games, they were closed after five days by Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex.