Tomorrow King Charles III begins his Australian journey‚ his first as the countrys monarch. This visit wont be like his mothers grand tours; its a more low-key affair (due to the kings health issues)
The six-day trip includes: meeting the Prime Minister reviewing the naval fleet‚ and greeting people at the Opera House. However many state leaders wont be there‚ and the republican movement is selling joke t-shirts about a “farewell tour“
Dennis Altman‚ a Melbourne sociologist said: “Its very strange here is a man whos our head of state coming to Australia two years after he came to the throne‚ but theres less interest and enthusiasm than I can remember for any previous royal tour“
The kings visit comes when Australians arent really thinking about becoming a republic. Its been about 25 years since the last vote on this‚ and people seem okay with how things are now. Michelle Arrow‚ a Sydney historian‚ noted “Its like‚ yeah‚ were a monarchy but it seems okay‚ we havent had any coups‚ were a pretty stable democracy“
Charles has a long history with Australia. He spent time here as a teenager and joked that he had “the Pommy bits bashed off me“ He also came here with Diana and baby William in 83 – a trip that showed how popular Diana was
The kings visit might not change much‚ but both monarchists and republicans want to use it to get people interested. Nathan Hansford from the Australian Republic Movement said “I think the question that Australians really should be asking is why should someone whos not an Australian be our head of state“
The kings schedule includes:
- Arriving in Sydney late tomorrow
- Going to Canberra for memorials and a welcome at Parliament House
- Heading back to Sydney for a community barbecue
- Reviewing naval ships and saying hello to people at the Opera House
While some hope this is Charles last trip as Australias king‚ others see it as a chance to remind people why they like the monarchy. Either way‚ its clear that Australias relationship with the crown is changing – even if slowly