Sydney officials are “disappointed” that King Charles did not have to use the £30,000 “soundproof” toilets built for the late Queen’s 1992 visit.

Officials were disappointed after hoping for a “royal tide” when King Charles visited the NSW Parliament in Sydney today.

They secretly hoped that the sovereign might be tempted to use their services during the engagement – what in the royal court is called a “comfort break.”

This is because, according to Australian Daily Telegraph, MPs were desperate to finally get their money’s worth after costly renovations to the toilets 30 years ago ahead of Queen Elizabeth’s visit.

Apparently, no expense was spared on the visit in 1992: for Her Majesty’s arrival, the toilet was specially modernized to ensure “soundproofing”.

It is believed that renovating the bathroom at the time cost around A$18,000 (£9,263), equivalent to around US$40,000 (£30,000) in today’s money – and taxpayers picked up the tab.

The toilet is located in the office of the President of the Upper House, which was allocated to the Queen and Prince Philip as a place to “rest” between parliamentary sessions.

Despite the expensive soundproofing, sources familiar with the event said there was “no evidence” the Queen ever used the facilities, the newspaper reported.

And anyone who knows much about royal engagements will understand that members of the royal family rarely do this.

The king is known to not even drink water during his visits during the day unless necessary, in order to minimize the need for it.

The newspaper quoted MPs as joking that their Upper House President Ben Franklin had “one job” to do while King Charles was in Parliament.

“Ben has one KPI – making sure the king uses the toilet so we can get our money’s worth,” one joked.

At the event, His Majesty was in the building for just 20 minutes, meeting and greeting representatives and making a short speech.

Charles and Camilla arrived in North Sydney on Sunday for their first full day of royal engagements.

Arriving at St Thomas’ Anglican Church in the morning, they were greeted with the warmest of welcomes as crowds of fans gathered to catch a glimpse of the British royal family.

Presented with armfuls of flowers, toy koalas and even dried kangaroos, the couple were repeatedly thanked for their long journey, especially in light of His Majesty’s ongoing cancer treatment.

Fans waiting in the church grounds, including dozens of Sunday school students, were excited to shake hands with the king and queen.

Camilla, wearing a pale green Anne Valentine dress and straw hat, received the gift before being received by the Archbishop of Sydney Kanishka Raffel and the Bishop of North Sydney, the Right Reverend Chris Edwards.

Inside, the Archbishop spoke about the royal history of St Thomas, and the Revd Michael Mantle, rector of North Sydney Parish, began by welcoming the royal guests, saying: “We are deeply honored to welcome you to our church this morning.”

At the end of the hour-long service, the King and Queen were wished safe travels for the remainder of their trip before heading to the front to sign Australia’s first Bible and Book of Common Prayer.

The couple stayed at the Admiralty, the official residence of Australia’s Governor-General, which offers stunning views of Sydney Harbor and the Opera House.

Each member of the royal family signed a Bible that belonged to the Reverend Richard Johnson, Australia’s first Christian minister, during previous royal visits.

The late Queen Elizabeth signed it in 1954 during the first visit of a reigning monarch to these shores, with the Archbishop declaring that the Bible “represents an important history of this Church and nation.”

The royals were photographed walking together on their first morning in Australia on the first day of their five-day visit to the country.

The couple were spotted strolling the lawns of Admiralty House in Kirribilli on Sydney’s North Shore on the first day of their visit.

His Majesty kept things casual yet stylish in a blue open-neck shirt paired with a beige sports jacket and cream chinos, while Camilla opted for a navy summer dress and matching cardigan.

The Queen looked effortlessly chic as she admired the gardens through her sunglasses as Charles squinted into the bright morning sun.

They were both seen chatting with the king’s bearded personal bodyguard and other security personnel.

On Friday evening, the Opera House’s sails were illuminated with images of the royal family’s previous visits to Australia.

The lighting of the monument came despite the New South Wales (NSW) government rejecting a similar proposal for the coronation due to cost.

The royal visit is the couple’s first trip to Australia since Charles became king in 2022.