Easy-going prince wins hearts in far north

PRINCE Charles has shown he is a man of the people, spending his final day in Queensland mingling with locals and bringing tears of joy to an Aboriginal woman.

The Prince of Wales started his Sunday in Cairns with a service at St John’s Anglican church in town.

Rather than close it off to the public, he sat with parishioners and mingled with them over morning tea, complimenting choir members on their singing and joking about how no one would eat the food until he left.

But it was while he was leaving that his presence in far north Queensland city arguably had the biggest impact.

Aboriginal woman Elizabeth Kulla Kulla yelled out to the heir of the throne from behind the barricade as he was meeting with other onlookers. “I’m an Aboriginal woman, please can I shake your hand for the first time,” she called.

Charles immediately walked over to Ms Kulla Kulla and fulfilled her request, as she told him she was named after his mum Queen Elizabeth.

Following the interaction, Ms Kulla Kulla was so overwhelmed she collapsed in tears into the arms of her sister.

Yesterday’s church service marked the start of an actionpacked day for Charles, who went on to visit naval base HMAS Cairns.

He presented one of the Royal Australian Navy’s highest honours to the crew that located a downed US Marines aircraft off the central Queensland coast and later unveiled the name of the Royal Flying Doctor Service’s newest plane, speaking to one of the families who regularly requires its help.