On a sunny day in 1954 thousands of Australians stood in the streets of Sydney hoping for a glimpse of the Queen. “The fact that she is a young girl, elegant, dignified and lovely to look at, embodying all the finest qualities of womanhood, must be a source of pride and high inspiration to every woman in Australia,” wrote The Age.
In the ongoing story of royals in Australia, youth nearly always triumphs. Nearly 50 years later, on the eve of her visit in 2000, one newspaper reported a mood of “mild excitement”. A few months earlier Australians had voted against becoming a republic, but the Queen had also made the mistake of growing older.
Prince Charles cut a dash during his early tours. Bikini-clad women in Brisbane were carted away, while another hugged him on the beach. Windsurfing and polo helped define him as a man of action, although during his 1981 tour he fell from his horse twice, provoking fears that he would be seen as accident prone.
A calmness in the face of misfortune could work wonders, however, just as it did for his predecessor. In 1920, when the train carrying the future Edward VIII was derailed in Western Australia, the Prince delighted Australians by remarking that he had done something that was not in the official programme.
For his part, Prince Charles remained calm when a gunman charged on to the stage and fired two shots — blanks, as it turned out. Support for an Australian republic was then at 50 per cent.
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“He was cool as a cucumber,” said one observer. The moment was transformative.