Camera Captures Haunting Photos of King Charles Standing Alone in Front of a Fire

King Charles and Queen Camilla are currently in the middle of their whirlwind royal tour of Australia and Samoa. For this history-making trip, they kicked things off with a surprising greeting in Sydney , and have since moved on to Canberra, where they've already been quite busy.

Today, King Charles, 75, visited the National Bushfire Behaviour Research Laboratory located at CSIRO Black Mountain where he learned about the bushfire behavior research being performed. This included a Pyrotron demonstration as research scientist Dr. Matt Plucinski described the combustion wind tunnel. And while these studies certainly are important, the demonstration also produced several haunting photos of the monarch.

Aaron Chown-Pool/Getty Images

One such photo that made me stop in my tracks shows the monarch standing alone in front of the Pyrotron flames. He slightly smiles as the fire reflects against the glass divider.

Another reveals a much more stoic King Charles as the flames illuminate his face.

Aaron Chown-Pool/Getty Images

These fiery pictures may be reminiscent of an image royal fans were treated to back in May. I'm of course referring to the first official portrait of the king since being crowned at last year’s coronation ceremony .

The fierce body of work, which took U.K. artist Jonathan Yeo over three years to paint (according to the palace), shows the 75-year-old monarch in a traditional Welsh Guards uniform while standing against a blazing red background.

Flaming images aside, King Charles and Queen Camilla, 77, initially arrived in Australia on Friday. This historic tour is the king's first visit to the nation since becoming monarch.

On social media, the official Buckingham Palace Instagram account announced the arrival of the monarch , writing, "Thank you for the special welcome, Australia! The King and Queen have touched down in Sydney to begin their visit to Australia. The visit marks His Majesty’s first visit to a Realm as Sovereign."

Aaron Chown-Pool/Getty Images

According to the official press release from Buckingham Palace, the tour also includes a State Visit to Samoa where Charles will participate in the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM)—his first time doing so as monarch. The trip is set to conclude on October 26.

Beyond the historic nature of the trip, the tour is also a big deal as the king was previously diagnosed with cancer and has been undergoing treatment. Due to his health issues, an additional scheduled stop in New Zealand was canceled.

Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

I'm just happy to see the king in such great spirits on his royal tour—and those latest portraits truly are, ahem, fire .

Want all the latest royal news sent right to your inbox? Click here .

King Charles and Queen Camilla Just Touched Down for a Major International Tour—and I Can't Believe How They Were Greeted