Art of royalty

King invites Aussie painter to join him on tour Down Under

- RUSSELL MYERS

THE King has called in an old friend to be by his side during his trip to Australia - and help frame the historic occasion for posterity.

And Aussie artist Warwick Fuller says he is "honoured" to be joining Charles as he visits the country for the first time since becoming monarch.

Yesterday, a photograph was released of the smiling King and Queen Camilla soon after they arrived Down Under on Friday.

But in the instantaneous age of social media, when images can be forgotten as soon as they appear, Charles is keen to keep alive a tradition that he started more than two decades ago.

He often personally pays for an artist to join him on tours to support the arts and document his visits.

It is the fourth time Warwick has accepted an invitation from Charles, who also joined the then Prince of Wales when he visited Australia in 2012, 2015 and 2018.