King Charles makes big announcement during royal visit to Australia
The King has launched a brand new charity during his historic visit to Australia.
Charles announced The King's Foundation Australia during an engagement at Admiralty House in Sydney on Tuesday – a further expansion of his King's Foundation first formed in the UK in 1990 when he was Prince of Wales.
The charity's first project will take inspiration from Dumfries House, the Scottish estate which Charles bought through the foundation in 2007 in order to restore the 18th-century Palladian villa.
The King's Foundation Australia will become the custodians of the Hillview Estate in New South Wales, which is a State Heritage-listed property, and was the former summer residence of the Governor of New South Wales.
The plan is to restore and conserve the historic property and make it as a landmark cultural hub, as well as to develop practical education and training programmes in traditional and heritage crafts.
Charles' vision when he first set up the Foundation almost 35 years ago was the philosophy of harmony: that by understanding the balance, the order and the relationships between ourselves and the natural world we can create a more sustainable future.
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Dominic Richards, Chair of The King's Foundation Australia, said: "His Majesty's vision of a world in harmony with nature is more relevant now than ever.
"As an Australian who personally benefited from The King's Foundation's education programmes 30 years ago, I am excited to see this work extend its transformative approach to communities in Australia.
"Following the model established by His Majesty at Dumfries House, we hope to create a similar positive impact by providing employment and educational opportunities."
The announcement comes the day after Charles and Camilla undertook a busy day of engagements in Canberra, which saw them greeted in the Australian capital during a traditional smoking ceremony.
The day threatened to be upended by an Australian senator who accused him of "genocide" against her nation's indigenous people and declared: "You are not my King" during a protest inside Parliament House. Watch the moment here...
It is understood that Charles was unruffled and did not let the outburst overshadow what the royal party viewed as a positive day, where the couple also took a walk around The Australian National Botanic Gardens.
