Royal tour 2014: Australia welcomes the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince George .....
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Prime Minister Tony Abbott and his wife Margie have arrived at St Andrews Cathedral where the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will spend their final morning in Sydney attending an Easter Sunday church service.
Loud screams greet the royal motorcade as it pulls up. It's the kind of unbridled enthusiasm usually reserved for boy bands, rather than a Sunday church service.
Reporter Daisy Dumas is among hundreds of wellwishers who have gathered in Cathedral Square, hoping to catch a glimpse and maybe even exchange a handshake with the royal couple.
The duke and duchess of Cambridge have entered St. Andrews cathedral, Kate wearing dove grey Alexander McQueen #RoyalTouraus — Daisy Dumas (@daisydumas) April 20, 2014
Georgia and Wendy Pearson caught a fleeting glimpse - no more than a snatched second or two - of the royals after spending $1000 to travel to Sydney to see the Duke and Duchess in the flesh. Was it worth it?
"Definitely," said an elated Wendy. "I loved what she was wearing."
"I don't think she saw my poster," said Georgia.
Crowds outside St Andrews Cathedral in Sydney are diminutive compared to those in Brisbane yesterday. Speakers are projecting the magisterial choir music from the service into a relatively empty Cathedral Square. Plenty of space to move around.
The Duchess looks stunning in an Alexander McQueen funnel neck coat and Jane Taylor hat.
Unsurprisingly, the tailored coat appears to be sold out as online sellers reap big profits from a public that can't seem to get enough of Catherine's style.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's will spend their final day in Sydney at the Easter Sunday church service at St Andrews Cathedral and opening the bilby enclosure named after little Prince George at Taronga Zoo.
The trio will leave for Canberra later this afternoon.
Will and Kate's signature's join those of Prince Charles and Princess Diana and Queen Elizabeth and King George VI today when they sign the First Fleet Bible brought to Australia and used during the first Christian service held in the colony in 1788.
One of the most historic books William and Kate will ever sign - the ‘First Fleet Bible'' first used in 1788 pic.twitter.com/Yo8r0Yszpt — Rebecca English (@RE_DailyMail) April 20, 2014
The royal motorcade has swept the couple away, possibly to a private lunch. They will later take a trip to Taronga Zoo, where little Prince George is hoped to put in a fleeting appearance for the opening of the bilby enclosure named in his honour.
Perhaps knowing they would need to save some energy for a busy Easter Sunday, Kate and William took some time to unwind on Saturday night, kicking back to enjoy the Super Rugby match at Allianz Stadium.
The Duke enjoyed a beer while rugged-up in a blue sweater, which some would claim was a show of support for the NSW Waratahs, who defeated the South African Bulls 19-12.
The couple enjoyed their well-earned break from the comfort of a private box.
The motorcade sits and waits as the Duke and Duchess attend the Easter Sunday service at St Andrew's Cathedral. Crowds watch and wait ... and take photograph of the police, who are also watching and waiting.
Thirteen-year-old Georgia Pearson and her mother Wendy, 48, have travelled from Melbourne especially to catch a glimpse of the royals.
Georgia made a poster for the occasion, emblazoned with images of Vegemite and the message "Georgia loves George".
The pair stayed at a hotel in Darling Harbour and have spent $1000 in the hope of a small sighting of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
"We'd just like to get a glimpse. We're not expecting miracles but just to see them in the flesh," said Wendy.
Throngs gathered at St Andrew's Place wait to see their royal highnesses as they leave the cathedral. The service is wrapping up shortly.
The congregation begins to file out of St Andrew's. Hundreds of people are straining to be within a chance of seeing William and Kate's exit from the cathedral.
The Easter service is due to finish at 11.45am, after which their royal highnesses will sign the First Fleet Bible, a leather-bound King James edition which was used by chaplain Richard Johnson in the first Christian ceremony held in Australia on February 3, 1788.
The bible and Johnson's Book of Common Prayer are foundational documents in the formation of Australia.
The Duke and Duchess' signatures in the precious bible will join a host of other signatures from the royal family, including those of William's grandmother Queen Elizabeth, his parents Prince Charles and Princess Diana and Albert, who became King George VI.
The bible is housed at St Philip's York Street Anglican Church in Sydney.
Interesting to note that devout Catholic Tony Abbott is celebrating Easter in a Protestant cathedral, alongside the future leader of the Church of England.
The service is certainly far more relaxed and easy-going than the affair the Duke and Duchess might normally attend at Easter.
Jokes have been made about microphone malfunctions while the audience clapped and laughed after the Sunday school choir's performance.
Among the lucky animals selected to meet the royal family during their visit to the zoo are:
- Galahs JoJo, Jimbo and Nelson
- Major Mitchell cockatoos B1 and B2
- Harry the brolga
- Whipley the barking owl
- Koalas Maggie and Luca
- Echidnas Lynx and Jindi
- and Autumn the quokka
We are assured that guards will be on hand to ensure the royals aren't savaged by any over-excited animals.
Prince George is set to arrive at Taronga Zoo with his parents the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in a matter of minutes.
The nine-month-old has joined his parents for a family day at the zoo, marking his first public engagement during the royal family’s visit to Australia.
George has been filmed in the car with William and Catherine before leaving Admiralty House for the short drive to Taronga Zoo.
During their visit, the trio will visit the bilby enclosure named after Prince George as part of Australia’s gift following his birth on July 22 last year. After the opening, where George will also meet a bilby named George in his honour, he’ll return to Admiralty House while Will and Kate will take in more sights of the zoo.
The crowd goes wild as Kate and Wills arrive at Taronga Zoo with a somewhat bewildered Prince George in his mother's arms.
Prince George is with duke and duchess at taronga zoo #RoyalVisitAus @RoyalCentral pic.twitter.com/lFOdDiDz2h — Brent Hunter (@australianbrent) April 20, 2014
The Cambridge family arrived at the zoo, which is at capacity, at 2.25pm, AAP reports.
Kate carried George - dressed in dark blue shorts, a striped lighter blue shirt, dark blue socks and shoes - as they entered the zoo. He looked inquisitive and was chuckling and looking at the cameras.
Kate had changed out her dove-grey Alexander McQueen outfit she wore to church, into a cream broderie angalise dress by a designer who did not want to be named.
William was also dressed casually in a dark blue checked shirt and chinos. The have now gone into the enclosure to meet the bilby George, who until earlier on Sunday had been named Boy.
This is Prince George’s first royal engagement in Australia and his second official function. During the New Zealand leg of the trip, he "hosted" a play group event with other babies his age at Government House.
Prince George is proving almost as popular as his mother, Kate, who has repeatedly stolen the spotlight from her husband William during their royal visit to Australia.
Tracee Harley, 42, and her eight-year-old daughter Charlotte were excited to catch a glimpse of the royal family, AAP reports.
"I’m coming to see baby George and the bilbies - that’s what we’re here for," Ms Harley told AAP earlier on Sunday.
"I’m really excited. Actually Kate’s gorgeous, we can’t wait to get a glimpse. With baby George it’s a new generation of royals, so it’s really exciting."
Charlotte Harley was wearing a rainbow wrist band she planned to give Kate.
"I’m really excited to see the baby bilby and George, and I want to know what Kate wears," she said.
An excited baby Prince George has met an equally animated bilby, renamed George in the prince's honour.
The bilby was previously named Boy.
The enthralled nine-month-old royal, steadied on his feet by his parents Will and Kate, reached a number of times towards the tiny marsupial, which seemed somewhat less transfixed by the royal presence than by the contents of his enclosure.
The cameras, on the other hand, only had eyes for Prince George.
A very adorable shot of Prince George seeing a bilby for the first time #RoyalVisitAus #9News pic.twitter.com/kSJ2fLeFk0 — Nine News Australia (@9NewsAUS) April 20, 2014
Having met the real deal moments earlier, Prince George was less than impressed with the toy bilby offered to him by his mother the Duchess of Cambridge.
The baby prince gazed in fascination at the endangered marsupial scratching around in its enclosure, enticing the bilby with some food as his mother held him close to the glass fence dividing the pair.
But despite his keen interest in the bilby, Prince George proved himself no fool for the stuffed version, eagerly grabbing the toy bilby present before throwing it on the ground - and sticking the yellow gift card straight in his mouth.
Baby Prince George less than impressed by another kind of bilby @tarongazoo http://t.co/LgK5nXZXVD #RoyalVisitAus pic.twitter.com/UZ7vqzakAH — 7NewsMelbourne (@7NewsMelbourne) April 20, 2014
William and Kate continue their tour of the zoo, feeding tree kangaroos before visiting some of the other enclosures.
Having unveiled the bilby enclosure named in his honour, Prince George's first official engagement during the royal visit to Australia has come to a close. The nine-month-old is now on his way back to admirality house.
Will and Kate are feeding some of the Australian wildlife they're meeting at @tarongazoo. #RoyalVisitAus #9News pic.twitter.com/o2UtM927iT — Nine News Australia (@9NewsAUS) April 20, 2014
Two Georges - one a prince, the other a bilby - meet for the first time. Only time will tell how this fateful encounter will alter both their lives.
Georgie-boy takes on Sydney's @tarongazoo. #RoyalVisitAus pic.twitter.com/LzD4DDyaNo — chris ledlin (@chrisledlin) April 20, 2014
Meanwhile at the bird enclosure where Will and Kate are scheduled to enjoy a bird show this afternoon, well-wishers and reporters who have been waiting for hours eagerly anticipate the arrival of the Duke and Duchess.
The sound of helicopters circlling overhead battle with the screech of birds below, which are no doubt excited about having been selected to perform for the royals.
Reporter Damien Murphy says the crowd in the bird area is under strict orders not to move during the show as the birds require complete silence and stillness to pull off their performance.
Excitement is building at Taronga Zoo as crowds wait for the arrival of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge - and possibly baby Prince George.
Hundreds of royal fans are filing into the zoo at Mosman, eager to catch a glimpse of the royals, who are due at the entrance within hours.
The duke and duchess are expected to stop at the zoo’s bilby enclosure, named after Prince George as part of Australia's gift following his birth. They also have plans to feed tree kangaroos, see the giraffes, watch a bird show, and take in the rhino conservation display.
- AAP
While it's yet to be confirmed whether baby Prince George will accompany his parents to the ceremony to officially name Taronga Zoo's Prince George Bilby Exhibit, Zoo officials have decided to further honour the nine-month-old by renaming one of the endangered marsupials after him.
When Prince George was born last July, the Australian government made a donation to the zoo for its Bilby preservation program, which is helping to restore numbers of the animal in the wild.
Bilbies - which are fondly considered Australia's answer to the Easter Bunny - are the largest of the bandicoot family.
It's a full house for the royal visit to Taronga Zoo this afternoon.
At 1.30pm, the zoo put up a sign telling visitors it would allow no further admissions. It also sent out a message via Twitter.
Taronga Zoo is currently full and there will be no more admissions. Please check the website for updates. Thank you for your understanding. — Taronga Zoo (@tarongazoo) April 20, 2014
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge emerged from the Easter service to throngs of well-wishers. Will and Kate attended the service and signed the First Fleet Bible as part of their final duties in Sydney.
Their next stop is Taronga Zoo, where Prince George is anticipated to make a brief appearance at the unveiling of the new bilby enclosure, named in his honour.
The trio will have a chance to visit several other enclosures before flying to Canberra this afternoon.
It's not every day - or even every Easter Sunday - that royalty comes to watch you perform.
Choristers from St Andrew's Cathedral School choir performed the Australian premiere of Trinity Te Deum, accompanied by soaring organ and brass, for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge today.
"I feel pretty special," senior chorister Sebastian Andrews, 12, from Newtown, said after the service.
"It was a bit nerve-wracking, it's not every day that you get to perform for the royals."
He said the couple whispered to each other several times and appeared to enjoy the hour and fifteen minutes' long service.
Members of the congregation left tightly clutching Orders of Service. Phyllis Lee, 58, from Maroubra, said she would keep hers as a souvenir of the day she worshipped alongside their royal highnesses.
"I'm so blessed, it was a real privilege to be in the presence of the future King."
Sam Lau, 36, from Artarmon, said the service had been without pomp.
"It felt like a normal service, there was no special attention paid to them. It was quite laid-back."
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge - and perhaps Prince George - will unveil a plaque at the renamed bilby exhibit at Taronga Park Zoo this afternoon. The plaque reads:
"A national gift from the Commonwealth Government to commemorate the birth of His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge.
"On 23 July 2013 the Prime Minister, the Honourable Kevin Rudd MP, announced a $10,000 sponsorship of Taronga Zoo's Bilby exhibit and conservation work as part of Australia's national gift to commemorate the birth of his Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge on 22 July 2013.
"The refurbished exhibit was officially renamed The Prince George Bilby Exhibit in the Australian Nightlife display by Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on Sunday 20 April 2014, during their first visit to Australia with Prince George.
"Taronga Zoo is very proud to be part of the national breeding program for Bilbies and to have Australia's unique wildlife, and the work of Australian zoos to care for them, recognised as part of Australia's national gift to Prince George. "
A close encounter of the furry kind between Autumn the quokka and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
Kate and William meeting animals at @tarongazoo #RoyalVisitAus #CNN pic.twitter.com/aleswz0IWn — David Wilkinson (@DWilkinsonCNN) April 20, 2014
The Prince George effect was back on display today when, in one of the worst kept secrets of the royal tour, the cherubic third in line to the throne sprinkled more of his royal stardust with a "surprise" appearance at the bilby enclosure at Taronga Zoo.
The Duke and Duchess arrive at the bird display area where they will enjoy a performance from some of the zoo's finest feathered residents.
Will and Kate meet some of Australia's other unique fauna, including Autumn the quokka and a pair of echidnas called Lynx and Jindi.