Charles visits Australia, republican movement hopes for ‘farewell tour’

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  Meike Wijers

  Australian Journalist

King Charles and Queen Camilla will land in Australia today for a six-day visit. The last time Australians received a visit from their head of state was thirteen years ago; back then it was still Queen Elizabeth. The royal visit has started the debate among the people: should Australia become a republic, or remain part of the Commonwealth with the British monarch at its head?

Opinion polls give a mixed picture. A recent poll by the Australian media company News Corp found that 45 percent support the monarchy, 33 percent for a republic and the rest have no choice. But from a vote with the Australian Republican Movement ARM it shows that 60 percent of the population would rather have an Australian head of state than Charles of Britain and that 92 percent are in principle open to an Australian republic.

The majority of the Australian population, who are mostly of British background, are still attached to the royal family. But the country’s demographic situation has changed significantly in recent years. The country is now very multicultural and there are many people from different backgrounds who have no connection to the royal family. According to an Australian Republican Movement poll, 40 percent of the population don’t even know that King Charles is the head of state.

The native population also criticizes the British crown. For them, the royal family symbolizes the great suffering that has been caused to them since their country landed. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders have asked Charles to apologize for the history of the colony. They also want compensation. The king has not yet responded to their request.

It is no surprise that Australia is the destination of his first major international tour since being diagnosed with cancer earlier this year. Charles has a special connection to the country. At 17, the young prince studied for six months at a prestigious school in Geelong, near Melbourne. In the following years he returned often, and this was his seventeenth visit.

For a while, it seemed that the trip was canceled due to Charlie’s cancer diagnosis. He has been receiving chemotherapy since February. It has not been announced what type of cancer the 75-year-old king has. Health is also the reason it is a very slow journey. The king stops treating him for the trip.

But it has received a warm welcome from some in Australia. The Albanese Prime Minister will be welcomed by Charles and Camilla, who is an open supporter of the Australian republic, although the Prime Minister is not expected to ask a question about this during the visit.

For other politicians, the royal visit is not a priority. None of the six heads of state in Australia are attending an official ceremony in the capital Canberra because of “other commitments”. The Australian Monarchy Association calls it a “slap in the face” from the king.

This is not the first time that there has been a debate about the future of the monarchy in Australia. 25 years ago a referendum was held on its future. In previous years there seemed to be a majority in favour, but in the end 54.9 per cent of the population voted against it.

But the royal family was still controversial. This is partly due to a remarkable moment in Australian history: the dismissal of the Queen’s representative by the Prime Minister in 1975. The then Prime Minister of Australia Whitlam was dismissed by Governor General Kerr , representative and vice-regent of the British monarch in Australia. This led to a constitutional crisis and remains one of the most controversial events in Australian political history.

In 2020, the letters between Kerr and the royal family were made public. This showed, among other things, that the then Prince Charles sent him a message of support in 1976, four months after his dismissal. “Don’t give up hope,” the heir to the throne wrote to Kerr about the uproar. “You made a good and courageous decision.” Charles is still blamed for this in Australia.

The king will meet his subjects at the Australian war memorial in Canberra on Monday. People can see him at the famous Sydney Opera House on Tuesday. It is not yet clear how many people there will be.

The Australian republican movement has announced that it will hold a fun protest. If the Republicans have their way, this will be Charlie’s farewell tour. In a fun campaign, the royal family are presented as an old rock band on one last tour.

Here you can see the campaign site: