Australia holds day of mourning for queen with art, flowers

Australia honored the late Queen Elizabeth II with a national day of mourning Thursday, including dignitaries placing sprigs of golden wattle in a wreath at Parliament House, which she had opened on one of her visits three decades ago.
The focus at the ceremony at Parliament’s Great Hall was a portrait of the former monarch of Britain and Australia in a yellow dress adorned with golden wattle motifs that she wore on her first night in Australia in 1954, known as the “Wattle Painting,” created by Australian artist William Dargie.
The queen’s death on Sept. 8 came during the Southern Hemisphere spring when wattle blooms, its golden flowers and green leaves reflecting Australia’s national colors in what has become a symbol of unity.
The government declared Thursday a public holiday and the ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Governor-General David Hurley, King Charles III’s representative in Australia. Both had returned Wednesday from the queen’s funeral in London.