Officials ‘disappointed’ by one unfortunate failure with King Charles’ Australia tour
Sydney officials were left ‘disappointed’ by one very unusual aspect of King Charles’s visit to New South Wales Parliament on Sunday – and it’s all to do with a toilet!
On what was Charles and Camilla’s first full day of engagements on their royal tour, the monarch met with representatives and gave a short speech as he attended the launch of an exhibition marking the 200th anniversary of the Legislative Council, Australia’s first parliament.
But it was his failure to take a loo break that raised eyebrows. According to the Australian Daily Telegraph , MPs were desperately hoping to finally get their money’s worth after costly renovations to the toilets 30 years ago in advance of a visit by the late Queen Elizabeth.
It seems no expense was spared for the 1992 visit, with the toilet specifically upgraded ahead of Her Majesty’s arrival to ensure it was ‘soundproof’. The renovations are believed to have cost some AUS$18,000 (£9,263) at the time, the equivalent today of around $40,000 (£30,000).
The toilet in question is located in the Upper House President’s office suite, which was allocated to the Queen and Prince Philip as a place to ‘rest’ in between their parliamentary engagements. Staff were even told to ensure the Queen’s ‘preferred drinks’, including her favoured brand of gin, were available should she wish for refreshment. But insiders later confirmed there was ‘no evidence’ that the Queen ever used the facilities.
Ahead of the King’s visit, MPs had joked that their Upper House President, Ben Franklin, had just ‘one job’ to do for when the King attended parliament. “Ben has one KPI – ensure the King uses the toilet so we can get our money’s worth,” one cheekily told the newspaper.
