Will Charles’ visit to Australia lead to a new dispute over the end of the monarchy? Palace staff are drawing up a plan for the king’s trip to Sydney next year
- The planned visit to Sydney coincides with the Commonwealth Summit
King Charles faces the biggest test of his reign next year when he flies to Australia – where calls for the country to become a republic are growing louder.
The Mail on Sunday can reveal royal advisers are preparing for a visit to Sydney to coincide with his first attendance as head of the Commonwealth at its summit in Samoa.
A senior Australian government minister said last night the visit would lead to a “renewed conversation” about the country having its own head of state.
Charles is due to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) next October and is expected to extend the trip to include visits to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji.
Matt Thistlethwaite, the deputy minister for the Republic – an anti-monarchist role created in the Australian Labor Party last year – told the MoS: “The King will always be welcome in Australia and lovingly greeted by the Australian people.” But in today’s Australia “His visit will spark a new discussion about our own head of state, who lives with us, represents us and is an Australian.”
The then Prince Charles is greeted by the public during a visit to Brisbane on April 4, 2018
Charles chats with an Indigenous elder during a traditional “Welcome to the Country” ceremony in Gove, Australia, April 9, 2018
Charles has already been criticized for not making an official visit to any Commonwealth country, despite being on the throne for more than a year.
Isaac Jeffrey, leader of the protest group Australian Republic Movement, added: “When Charles comes to visit, he will have been King of Australia for more than two years.” He was in little hurry to visit us, and that’s a good thing – We don’t need him.”
A recent poll found that 78 percent of 1,500 Australians believe the royal family should foot the bill for a state visit. In 2011, it cost the Australian taxpayer $2.6 million (£1.9 million today) to host the Queen and Prince Philip.
Royal advisers will keep a close eye on Saturday’s referendum, in which Australians will vote on whether to allow an Indigenous voice in Parliament. If successful, the Labor government under Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said it will hold a vote to test its desire for a republic if elected for a second term in 2025.
A YouGov poll of 1,200 Australians last month found 32 per cent want a republic as soon as possible – a 12 percentage point increase from a similar poll last year.
For his part, Charles is understood to have been “concerned” by the delay in receiving an official invitation from the Australian Prime Minister.
It is understood that if Charles visited the country – his 17th visit to Australia – anti-monarchists would use it as a base in their attempt to oust him as king.
Sources claim opponents are targeting official engagements to promote an Australian as the country’s first president.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (pictured left) and Labor MP Hawke Sam Rae (pictured right)
They add that there have been “discussions on both sides” and that “the King has made it clear that he is keen to meet as many Australians as possible when the opportunity arises”.
Shadow Defense Secretary Andrew Hastie told the MoS: “The King will be very welcome on his first visit.” “There is a new enthusiasm for the Crown Down Under and a feeling that we are part of something special and historic.”
But Prime Minister Albanese is in no hurry to send out a formal invitation. A source claimed: “It’s fair to say there has been some unrest over this. “As per protocol, the king cannot do anything until he receives an official invitation.”
The palace would not discuss details of the talks between the king and Mr. Albanese as part of a state visit.
In May, this newspaper revealed Charles’ plans to visit his first Commonwealth country – Kenya – at the end of the month. The palace is expected to confirm this in the coming days.