King Charles sparks nervous laughter with poignant 'sands of time' joke after health scare

and Queen Camilla kicked off the first day of their royal tour of by meeting some of their subjects down under, as well as a trip to church and to a regional parliament - where he presented a gift for the assembled politicians and made a poignant quip that cracked them all up.

After cutting part of the trip short due to his ongoing cancer treatment, Charles is embarking on a a country he first visited in the 1950s that is now seeing growing arguments about republicanism and the role of the monarchy. But, if he was fazed by small pockets of protesters, the King did not show it and, in a reflective moment, even made the assembled bureaucrats laugh with a well-timed gag.

As a passionate environmental campaigner for decades before ascending the throne, King Charles is known for speaking at length in support of issues that matter to him, making his joke land on multiple fronts, depending on your point of view. Speaking to assembled politicians and media, Charles said: "In the spirit of marking the passage of time, it is my great pleasure to present a small gift to the parliament."

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Referring to the sometimes lengthy nature of political speeches, as well as his own, he said, "It is, in fact, an hourglass—a speech timer," causing a ripple of laughter in the room. But then he reminded his audience of the reverence in which he holds Australia's political institutions, as well as his own recent medical reminder of his own mortality.

King Charles continued: "To sit in the chamber and bear witness to the legislative council's next chapter. So, with the sands of time encouraging brevity..." sparking a nervous laughter, referencing his 60 years' of visits to Australia, as well as reminding those present of his own recent health scare.

The King finished his brief speech by saying: "It just remains for me to say what a great joy it is to come to Australia for the first time as sovereign and to renew a love of this country and its people, which I have cherished for so long.

"So thank you, thank you, for making me feel so welcome." He then asked the President of the Legislative Council, Ben Franklin, if he could give the hourglass a spin for good luck.