King Charles hailed Australia as "most multicultural” country on Earth during his address to the Australian Parliament on Monday.
Despite interrupted by a heckler, the monarch gave a powerful speech at the Great Hall.
During the address, King Charles expressed his affection for Australia and his long association with it as he first visited the country as a 17-year-old boy in 1966.
“Every time I returned to the sunburnt country, I am always moved by the hauntingly evocative cries of the Kookaburras, the screeching of the gallah and the Magpie,” King Charles said in the address.
He continued, “Over six decades since my first visit, I have, of course, witnessed both continuity and great change. It is worth reflecting that Australia’s unique character has endured and also evolved and that Australia has become a stronger nation as a result of becoming one of the most multicultural on earth.”
The King also shared about unique education he received in remote Australia, leaving audience in stitches.
“Ladies and gentlemen, what an education it was,” he jokingly added.
King Charles further praised Australia’s leadership on climate change, referencing the 2019 and 2020 Black Summer bushfires and the floods of 2022 and 2023.
“Amid such overwhelming challenges, I have always been deeply impressed by the extraordinary bravery and resilience of those who look up, look out and in that most Australian way, battle on,” he said.
To note, the ongoing Australian tour of King Charles marks his first since ascending to the throne in 2022.
