LONDON — King Charles III has expressed his “deep love and affection” for Australia, which was once part of the British Empire. When he visits the country this weekend, he may discover that Australians don’t feel as much love for him.
Prince Charles and Queen Camilla arrived in Sydney on Friday night local time, with a tribute on the sails of the city’s iconic Opera House featuring a four-minute montage of footage from previous royal visits. It was done.
Prince Charles, 75, becomes the first current British monarch to visit Australia in 13 years. His visit to Australia and the Pacific island nation of Samoa from October 18 to 26 will be his first overseas trip since becoming king, and his first major overseas trip since his cancer diagnosis.
Australia is one of 14 countries outside the UK where he continues to be head of state, in a largely symbolic role. They are all members of the Commonwealth, a voluntary association of 56 independent states, almost all of which were previously under British rule.
However, there are growing doubts in Australia, Canada and other countries about whether they should sever ties with the British monarchy and become a republic, following the death of Prince Charles’ long-ruling mother Queen Elizabeth II in 2022. The debate is being reignited.
In 1999, a majority of Australians voted against becoming a republic in a referendum. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, a lifelong republican, had expressed openness to holding a second vote on the matter, but the government announced in January this year ahead of Prince Charles’ planned visit that it would be It’s not a priority.”
The King said it was up to Australians to decide whether they wanted to become a republic.
Meanwhile, the country has taken yet another step away from the royal family. Australia last year opted to include an Indigenous design rather than Charles’ likeness on its new $5 banknote, the last banknote to feature the British monarchy.
The royal family’s visit to Australia includes a reception on Monday at Parliament House in the capital, Canberra, where the king is expected to meet Albanians. However, the premiers of six Australian states – New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania – have said they will not be able to attend.
A spokesperson for Queensland Premier Stephen Miles said he was busy campaigning for re-election, while Western Australian Premier Roger Cook was unable to attend due to “other commitments”. South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas and New South Wales Premier Chris Minns held a Cabinet meeting, while Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliffe is in the US on a trade mission, their offices announced.
Nevertheless, all states plan to have representatives, including governors, attend the welcome event.
Bev MacArthur, a Victorian lawmaker and spokesperson for the Australian Monarchists Federation, said in an email that it was “completely indefensible” that the prime minister – the country’s most senior elected official – would not attend. , to “despise it, insult it, slap it in the face.”
“Their pathetic attempts to pretend they were absent due to inevitable diary conflicts are lame,” she says. “That’s obvious nonsense.”
Australian Republic Movement (ARM) co-chair Nathan Hansford said he understood the prime minister’s absence as Charles was “certainly a very busy group focused on running the government”. He said he would give it to me.
ARM launched a campaign this month billing the British monarch’s visit to Australia as a “Farewell Oz Tour” and an opportunity to “say goodbye to royal rule”.
The Australian Monarchist Federation is distributing thousands of Australian flags to celebrate the King’s arrival, while ARM is encouraging people to sign virtual farewell cards and buy T-shirts and tea towels as part of the campaign. called out.
Republican groups had requested to meet with Charles during his visit. In a March response seen by NBC News, Nathan Ross, the king’s private secretary, said the king was acting on the advice of ministers and the Australian government, and that the king and Queen Camilla were “committed to Australia and the Australian people.” I have deep love and affection for them.” ”
NBC News royal commentator Daisy McAndrew said Prince Charles has visited Australia 16 times, including six months when he lived in Australia as a teenager, with mixed reviews. He said he wouldn’t be surprised if there was a reaction.
But with cancer treatment still ongoing, she said his willingness to travel “demonstrates how important the Kingdom and the Commonwealth are to him and his reign.”
Tasmanian minister and Australian Monarchist Alliance spokesperson Eric Abetz said public opinion was paramount and “robust research shows support for a constitutional monarchy remains strong”. said.
A YouGov poll released last year found around a third of Australians want to transition to a republic as soon as possible, while 35% want to maintain a constitutional monarchy and the rest are undecided. That’s what it means.
For a referendum to make Australia a republic, it would require a majority vote in at least four of the six states, as well as across the United States. Of the 45 referendums held in Australia since 1901, only eight have passed successfully.
If Australia becomes a republic, it will follow the Caribbean nation of Barbados. Barbados became the world’s newest republic in 2021, choosing to remove the British monarch as head of state while remaining part of the British Commonwealth.
Even the tribute at the Sydney Opera House has been divisive, with Mr Hansford calling the building a symbol of Australian creativity and independence.
“Our public spaces need to truly reflect our own stories,” he said. “We look forward to the day when we can light up this iconic landmark to celebrate the Head of State elected by the Australian people.”
Mr MacArthur, by contrast, said: “It’s a fitting gesture to welcome Their Majesties as the beginning of what we know will be a great visit.”
The royal couple will visit Sydney and Canberra before heading to Samoa, another Commonwealth nation. During his four-day state visit, King Charles will attend a Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting with world leaders, aiming to highlight the threat posed by climate change to Pacific island nations.
