JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, you’ve laid your tributes there today, your thoughts?
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: It’s a great honour to be representing Australia here. Quite clearly, what we can see all around us is the affection in which Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth was held by people here in the United Kingdom, but also of course in Australia and right around the Commonwealth. Queen Elizabeth gave a life of service. It was a life of dignity. It’s a life that brought great respect from the world’s citizens, but in particular Australia. It has been an honour to leave a tribute for Queen Elizabeth here. Of course, Monday will be a sombre day, but it will also be a day of celebrating a life well lived, a life of service, a life in which Queen Elizabeth will be remembered for centuries.
JOURNALIST: You’ve got a bit of a schedule here, are you hoping to meet the King tomorrow?
PRIME MINISTER: Yes, tomorrow, and then there is a further reception on Sunday with King Charles, with I think all of the leaders from around the Commonwealth and Heads of State and Heads of Government who’ve travelled here to pay their respect to Queen Elizabeth. So it will be an important moment as well. Tomorrow morning I will be meeting with Liz Truss, the new Prime Minister of the UK, and I’ll be travelling to Kent to meet with her tomorrow morning.
JOURNALIST: Is there anything you hope to say to the King when you’ve have that opportunity?
PRIME MINISTER: We have I think, there is a formal engagement on Sunday but tomorrow will be an opportunity to convey firstly Australia’s condolence at his loss. This is of course the loss of the Monarch for Commonwealth nations that have had Queen Elizabeth as our Head of State, but for him it’s the loss of his mother as well, coming so soon after the loss of his father. So there is a very personal dimension.
JOURNALIST: You’re meeting with the Prime Minister as well, is it a difficult time for politics? Is it a time for politics?
PRIME MINISTER: It’s not a time for partisanship, this is a time for unity, for coming together, and just for paying tribute to the life and contribution of Queen Elizabeth.