NRS-16585 | Royal Visits

Full description

On 30 January 1966 Prince Charles arrived in Australia to further his education at Timbertop School in Victoria, preferring to be addressed as Prince Charles rather than the Prince of Wales or Your Royal Highness, departing on 1 August 1966, but returning for a luncheon party on 15 April 1981. An earlier visit by the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and HRH Princess Alice on 28 February 1979, to attend lunch, dinner and a reception at Government House, but after that they remained at Kirribilli House with their children.

On 28 February 1967, her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra and the Honourable Angus Ogilvie attended a dinner with numerous guests, followed by a subsequent luncheon to celebrate servicemen receiving knighthoods, with groups of people congregated in a large room to witness the event. Princess Alexandra and Angus Ogilvie departed for the USA on a Qantas flight on Monday 6 March 1967.

Subsequent listings of visits by Her Majesty the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Phillip and Princess Anne attending Divine Service and watching the Scots College Pipe Band parading before St Stephen's Church, Macquarie Street plus attending the Centenary Celebrations for Tamworth City Council, and visits to South Australia, Western Australia, Canberra (ACT), Sydney (NSW), Darwin (Northern Territory), Territory of Papua and New Guinea, Kieta, and Bougainville Island.

Also included are payments to casual staff, including pantry staff, housekeeping staff, kitchen staff and housemaids, RAN and WRAN Stewards, Army Staff, gratuities paid to Domestic Staff, Liquor consumption, soft drinks, cigars and cigarettes, food and household supplies, plus photos of the Queen and family together with crowds of people in the gardens. The Garden Party organised for Government House, although timed to commence at 2.45pm, allowed guests to arrive at 2pm, with music played by the bands of the Royal Australian Navy, the Band of Eastern Command, the Australian Military Forces, and the Police Pipe and Drum Band, with the Bands marching in at 2.10pm. At 3pm the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales and Princess Anne appeared on the colonnade on the eastern side of Government House, accompanied by His Excellency the Governor and Lady Cutler, the Premier, and Mrs Askin. (1)

Suffering from a respiratory illness, Her Royal Highness Princess Margaret, agreed to rest at Government House to complete the medical treatment she is presently undergoing, necessitating the cancellation of her visit to the Philippines, but resulting in a good recovery. Expenses incurred by His Excellency the Governor in connection with the visit of Princess Margaret, consisted of a large list of groceries, seafood, chicken, meat, fruit and vegetables, eggs, coffee, bread and avocadoes, dairy foods, wines, spirits and beer, cigars and cigarettes, Ice from Balmain Ice Works, soft drinks and cordials, and wages paid to waiters, kitchen maids, casual and domestic staff for additional hours worked. Subsequent letters from Joseph W. Derwin to a variety of Government Ministers, Veterans Affairs and Senators, listed a wide variety of complaints, but offered suggestions to alleviate them, with Princess Alexandra and Mr Angus Ogilvy making a special visit to the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children plus a visit to Old Sydney Town.(2)

Endnotes
(1) NRS 16585, Royal Visits, 21/1/1966-10/3/1994
(2) ibid