The congregation of St Thomas’ North Sydney was told only days before that they would have the King and Queen as special guests for the Sunday morning family service.

Strict security had to be in place for the opening official engagement of King Charles' first visit to Australia as King.

“We really hope and pray that he recovers well and what he hears in the service will be of great encouragement and meaning to him,” said the rector, the Rev Micky Mantle, as he prepared for the service.

Mr Mantle, North Sydney Bishop Chris Edwards and staff had been planning for weeks but were unable to make the event public until just before.

The North Sydney church, close to Admiraly House where the King and Queen were staying, was chosen for the monarch to attend a ‘normal' service.

But while normally St Thomas’ 10 am family service would have a kids spot and other elements, it was quickly transformed into a more formal event with the children standing outside to greet the King and Queen on arrival.

The children presented a bouquet of flowers to the Queen while Mrs Ellie Mantle gave the couple a rugby ball, a cricket ball and a stuffed koala as presents for Prince William’s children George, Charlotte and Louis.

“Sir, on the occasion of your seventeenth visit to Australia, and your first as reigning Sovereign, we want to assure you of our warm welcome, and our prayers for you and the Royal Family, for your good health and happy reign,” said Archbishop Raffel in his official welcome.

Although a variation of the normal Sunday service, it was not without a historic tone.

The First Fleet Bible and Prayerbook that were brought to these shores by the first Chaplain to the Colony the Revd Richard Johnson, in January 1788, lay open on a table at the front of the church. They were used in the first services in the Colony and today they are in the custody of St Philip’s, Church Hill. 

“Many members of the Royal Family have signed both books since 1920 when then Prince of Wales, later His Majesty King Edward VIII signed it on his visit to Australia. It was signed by Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of honoured and affectionate memory, on the occasion of her visit to Australia in 1954, the first visit of a reigning Monarch to these shores,” the Archbishop said.

We are grateful to Their Majesties for graciously agreeing to inscribe the Fleet Bible at the conclusion of the service, representing as it does a significant part of the history of this church and nation, and containing within it, in the words used at Their Majesties coronation, ‘the most valuable thing this world affords.’”

The Archbishop also mentioned the cornerstone of the church, which was laid in the presence of a then 15 year old Prince George, in 1881. He was later George V, the King’s great grandfather.

The congregation, including the King and Queen, sang as their opening hymn, ‘Rejoice the Lord is King’.

With a service theme of “The good news about Jesus”, the archbishop preached from Acts 8, the story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch. 

“The first Christians proclaimed what they called the good news of Jesus—and the impact of their words, we may confidently say, changed the course of world history in a way that reverberated around the world and down the centuries, eventually reaching even this place and bringing us together on this day. (Read the sermon in pdf)

“The gospel makes its way through the God directed ministry of ordinary Christians – that is what Philip is – not an apostle, not a prophet, a man filled with the Holy Spirit and mature. That should be a great encouragement to ordinary Christians like us.”

After the service, King Charles and Queen Camilla emerged to greet hundreds of people on the lawns of the church and officially begin their tour, with the prayers of the St Thomas congregation for a safe and healthy visit.

Official Photography Service Offering - Royal Visit 2024.