'I waited hours to see King Charles in Sydney. It wasn't at all what I expected.'

When I heard that King Charles and Queen Camilla were coming to Sydney, I knew I had to go and see them. 

You see, over the years I've been ticking British royals off my list one by one, in the same way I tick off seeing my favourite singers' concerts.

Prince Harry waved at my ferry while sailing towards Kirribilli House in 2013. I saw Wills and Kate when they came to Manly in 2014. Prince Harry and Megan Markle walked right past the pub I was working at in Edinburgh in 2018. I also happened across the Trooping the Colour while on a walk in London, and got to see the late Queen Elizabeth in 2019. 

So, ticking off King Charles was an opportunity not to be missed.

Forget Where's Wally. I'm an expert at 'Spot Queenie'. Image: Cassandra Green

You see, I used to live in the UK, and have always found it hard to resist 'royal fever'.

Yet, in the years since coming home, my thoughts towards the future of the British monarchy's presence in Australia have grown more complicated. 

In line with this ambivalence, I honestly questioned how many people would turn up to see the king. 

So, I high tailed it down to Circular Quay in Sydney around 3pm when they were opening the security gates to the Opera House forecourt. 

I thought I'd stroll right on in and say a quick hello, but alas, it was not to be.

Crowds upon crowds of Australians, Brits and tourists lined the quay, stretching all the way from the Opera House to the Museum of Contemporary Art, towards The Rocks. Waiting at the end of the line, a passerby told me, 'You'll never get in to see the King'.

'How dare she?!', I thought, and bolstered my resolve to prove her wrong (rather than ditch the whole event and grab a coffee, as I was quite tempted to do).

The line itself was utter mayhem, and yet, everyone was waiting patiently with a smile on their face (save one man who cut the queue). The crowds held Australian flags, the Union Jack and they sang 'God Save the King'. 

Shocked to have been caught at the end of a long queue — and forced to stand for hours in heels and a black dress in the baking sun — I soon realised that I had completely underestimated the star power of King Charles and Queen Camilla. 

I mean, I know he is a King, but … slay King. He was bringing in the big crowds.

Lines were snaking around The Rocks. Image: Cassandra Green

Speaking to people waiting in line, I couldn't help but notice the strength of that long-standing parasocial relationship we've had with the royals. 

It's the same reason why, despite our nation's growing inclination toward republicanism, we just haven't been able to say 'toodle-pip' to our British overlords. 

In the crowd, there were many stories of the way the royals have touched their lives.

I spoke to one lady who met King Charles while she was a flight attendant. She was due to give him an important envelope and in a comedy of errors, their hands touched. 

"I have held the king's hand before," she told Mamamia. "It was back in 1970 or '71, I worked for Qantas in the first class lounge… I had to meet him coming from New Zealand with an envelope.

"I handed him the envelope, we dropped it and we both went to the floor to pick it up and we held hands as we came up together. So that's my 'dining out' story.'"

I spoke to another man in the crowd who was equally excited for King Charles to arrive. He pulled up his Ancestry family tracing to me that he was, in fact, King Charles' 14th cousin. 

"I'm very distantly related to Charles, through the Scottish line back to James the 1st. I thought I better turn up," he said.

I told him I was very distantly related to Anne Boleyn, and we joked that we should have been given front row seats designated for 'royal rellies'. 

Another lady I spoke to first saw King Charles when he toured with Princess Diana on their 1983 trip. She saw the royal couple in Perth, with her young daughter in tow, and now, both mum and daughter had come to the Opera House to see him once more. Despite the 40 year gap, they felt it was only polite to come back and wish him well.

"They were just there and we were very close to them. It was so exciting at the time — a long time ago now," she said.

King Charles' return as sovereign marked his 17th visit to Australia, and despite the changing temperature of the attitudes toward the royal family, it was clear there are still many who see him as a familiar presence, one that has been there throughout their lives. 

And it's not only Australians. 

Can you spot him?? Image: Cassandra Green

I came across an American and Italian tourist who had queued up with the rest of us to see the King. Neither had any real relation to the British monarchy, but the sheer celebrity power of seeing the King — a rare and historic moment — brought them out into the baking sun. 

It was not at all what I expected, and reminded me that although the sentiment toward our place in the Commonwealth might be turning, there are still many people who grant the royals a special importance in their lives. 

Now, to the actual event. Consider this a 'How to Spot a Royal for Dummies' guide, in the least organised, least successful manner possible. 

I was surprised to see how well organised the event was, with plenty of water, bathroom facilities and even a few benches for attendees to sit on — all of which I was thankful for, given a lot of attendees were in the older age bracket. Armed with a water bottle, a packet of Cheezels, and the new friends I'd met and interviewed, it was still around a two-hour wait after entering the forecourt, but we all plastered on a smile and did it together. 

People continued singing 'God Save the King', waved their signs (should I have made a sign?) and talked about which direction Charles would walk in. They commented on how odd it was to see snipers perched on the Opera House shells and the high-rise apartments at the bottom of Macquarie St. 

The worst part for me, however, was that the crowds were so thick it was nearly impossible to see. 

The crowds were at least two metres deep around the walkway, luckily they appeared atop the stairs. Image: Cassandra Green

People were packed in like sardines, two metres deep on either side of the 'Guard of Honour' walkway the royals were due to saunter down. There was absolutely no chance of glimpsing the king (who stands at 5'8") or his wife from this standpoint — particularly because I'm vertically challenged at just 5'1".

Yet, we kept our eyes peeled on the seemingly endless people milling about atop the Opera House stairs.

How had they managed to get approval to be up there? Could one of them be Charles in disguise? And surely (surely!!!) they would get the ol' King up to some elevation on the stairs so that us lowly plebs could eyeball him.

After more than two hours, the royal couple finally emerged — at the top of the stairs, thank God!

"Hurrah!" we said, thanking the powers that be. Our patience had not been for nought.

The moment we'd all been waiting for. Image: Getty

King Charles and Queen Camilla smiled and waved, but I must admit, their excitement did appear a little lacklustre, like they'd had a long day and were keen for their final engagement to be wrapped up. 

And, at least from Camilla's perspective, I get it. At 77-years-old, she was wearing a substantial pair of nude pumps that put the wedge kitten heels I'd been complaining about to shame. She is an endurance athlete to have worn those all day. 

The loved-up couple and walked along the top platform before descending the stairs together, and hand-in-hand, might I add. It was all very sweet.

I had my phone out, recording, and did manage to catch a glimpse of Charles and Camilla for the T-2 minutes they were up on the staircase. 

Watch: Mamamia spots Charles and Camilla atop the stairs at the Sydney Opera House. 

This was unfortunately followed by another 30 minutes of the royals greeting guests along the walkway, during which time they were completely invisible. I followed their progress based on which direction people were pointing their smartphone cameras. 

Thinking ahead, I moved down to the northern end of the forecourt peninsula, and did manage to catch them for a second as they exited the vanguard and approached the Man'O'War steps to hop on their royal yacht. 

It's safe to say that my view of the royals was sparing at best; the waiting was long, with very little reward. And yet, despite this, I didn't walk away feeling as though I had done nothing.

It wasn't all boomers in the crowd. Image: Getty.

I can still check the King off the list, and I think having seen the last two sovereigns in a row can be considered a win, no?

Once the event was over and I had farewelled my newfound friends, I attempted the exit the venue, which was unbearably slow, but not jostly. Say what you like about fans of the royals, but they were nothing but polite and respectful of one another.

I mulled over my regret of not getting a media pass, but soon realised that actually, the greatest part of the experience had been bonding with my fellow attendees about something we were all excited to see. 

Like those musicians I like to tick off to see in concert, the best part about being a fan of something is about being part of the community. 

Swifties, One Directioners… King-ers? Charlsies?

We'll have to settle for 'Royalists', but we all had the best time in solidarity with one another.

Today, there are many media reports about the age of attendees, and I'll admit, there were a lot of Boomers in the crowd. However, there were also a lot of children, school kids and young adults. 

I spoke to a grandmother whose grandson had asked to take the afternoon off school in order to see the King. 

"My grandson woke up and came upstairs to see me, saying, 'The King is coming to Sydney, I want to go see him,'" she told me.

"'I said, 'Oh there's going to be too many people,' and he said, 'No I really want to go see him, I'm going to take a day off school,'" she added. 

Her grandson ended up getting a 'naughty note' from school, but for him, the next generation, this historical moment was well worth it.

And I must admit, I felt that way too.

Featured image: Mamamia/Getty