Queen Camilla delights Abdallah family, who lost three children to drunk driver in Oatlands crash, at royal reception in Canberra

Queen Camilla beamed with a warm smile and lightly touched six-month-old baby Mary at Monday’s royal reception in Canberra, delighting inspirational trauma survivors Leila and Danny Abdallah.

The couple’s children Antony, 13, Angelique, 12, and Sienna, 8, died when they were hit by a drunk and drug-affected driver as they walked along a footpath on their way to get ice creams in the Western Sydney suburb of Oatlands in 2020.

Their cousin Veronique, 11, also died in the crash.

However, the family forgave the driver and established the I4Give Foundation to help others suffering from grief.

Leila and Danny were invited to Parliament House by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday, with the pair chosen to speak to King Charles and Queen Camilla at the event.

On Tuesday, the pair sat down with Nat and Shirvo on Sunrise, telling them how warm and generous the royals were when they met.

“Mary was the youngest guest, when they saw her, she managed to put a big smile on everyone’s face and they wanted to touch her,” Leila said.

“It was so surreal. I was just admiring her (Camilla). She had an aura around her. I was thinking that baby Selena (born in 2022), after she was born, we got to go to Rome and meet the Pope. Baby Mary, she got to meet the King and Queen — with every child comes a blessing.”

Danny said he had spoken to King Charles, who called the I4Give Foundation a “great initiative”.

Previously, Danny had seen King Charles at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, in September 2022.

“I was at his mother’s funeral. I went to Anthony Albanese, and yesterday I saw him again,” Danny said.

“I think I have seen him as a human. I saw him in his sorrow when he lost his mum and yesterday, he seemed very joyful and happy to be in Canberra,” Danny said.

Danny admitted he had to YouTube the formal way to greet the monarch before the event but ended up so starstruck he said ‘hi, your honour”, instead of addressing him as “Your Majesty”.

The pair will again meet the royals at a barbecue on Tuesday in Paramatta with NSW Premier Chris Minns.

The couple reflected on the death of three of their children in 2020 and Danny said forgiveness allowed their children to live on.

“I believe it’s so important, especially as a community, as a family, we don’t have it in today’s society,” Danny said.

“I remember Leila and I, when our kids tragically passed, I said to Leila we have to carry that pain and burden. But through forgiveness, our kids can live. If you meet the kids, they have their goals and dreams.

“Obviously Leila and I grieve — the birthdays come, we quietly come together and think about them. Antony would have graduated Year 12 this year, it was really tough.

“(But) to see our other kids, happy, joyful with their friends playing I thought because we forgave, they were able to do that.”