King Charles III’s visit revives debate in Australia over ending ties with the British monarchy: NPR

Britain’s King Charles III and Queen Camilla wave to crowds as they arrive in a carriage in the parade ring on the third day of Royal Ascot, a horse racing meeting, traditionally known as Ladies’ Day, in Ascot, England, on June 20, 2024.

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MELBOURNE, Australia — King Charles III and Queen Camilla arrive in Sydney on Friday in the first Australian visit by a reigning monarch in more than a decade, a trip that has revived debate over the country’s constitutional ties with Britain.

The sails of the Sydney Opera House will be lit up with images of previous royal visits to welcome the couple, whose six-day trip will be short by royal standards. Charles, 75, is undergoing treatment for cancer, which has led to the itinerary being shortened.

He is the second British monarch to visit Australia. His mother, Queen Elizabeth II, became the first in 70 years.

Although the welcome will be warm, Australia’s national and state leaders want to remove members of the royal family from their constitution.

The royalists expect the visit to strengthen Australians’ attachment to their sovereignty. Opponents hope to reject the concept that someone from the other side of the world is Australia’s head of state.

The Australian Republic Movement, which campaigns for an Australian citizen to replace the British monarch as head of state, likens the royal visit to an entertainment industry tour.

This week, ARM launched what it calls the “Wave Goodbye to the Royal Reigns” campaign with The Monarchy: Oz Farewell Tour!

Esther Anatolytis, co-chair of ARM, said the royal visits to Australia were “a kind of show that comes to town”.

“Unfortunately, this is a reminder that the Australian head of state is not full-time, he is not Australian. He is a part-time person who resides overseas and is the head of state in many places,” Anatolytis told the AP.

“We say to Charles and Camilla: Hello, we hope you are enjoying our country, in good health and in good spirits.” “But we also look forward to this being the last tour of an Australian monarch in office, and when they return to visit soon, we look forward to welcoming them as visiting dignitaries.”

Philip Benwell, national president of the Royal League of Australia, which campaigns to preserve Australia’s constitutional ties with Britain, expects the reaction to the royal couple to be very positive.

“Something like a royal visit brings the king closer to people’s minds, because we have an absent monarchy,” Benwell told the AP.

He added, “The King’s visit confirms that Australia is a constitutional monarchy and has a king.”

Benwell criticizes the premiers of the six states, who declined invitations to attend a reception for Charles in the national capital, Canberra.

Both the Prime Ministers explained that they have more pressing engagements on the day such as Cabinet meetings and foreign travel.

“Prime ministers will have to be in Canberra to meet him and show their respect,” Benwell said. He added, “Not attending could be considered disrespectful because this is not an ordinary visit. This is the first visit ever made by a king to Australia.”

Charles was drawn into the debate over Australian republicanism months before his visit.

The Australian Republic Movement wrote to Charles in December last year requesting that a meeting be held in Australia and for the King to champion their cause. Buckingham Palace wrote politely in March to say that the King’s meetings would be decided by the Australian government. The meeting with ARM does not appear in the official itinerary.

“Whether or not Australia becomes a republic is for the Australian people to decide,” the letter from Buckingham Palace said.

The Associated Press has seen copies of both letters.

The Australians decided in a referendum in 1999 to keep Queen Elizabeth II as head of state. This outcome is widely seen as a result of disagreement over how to choose a president rather than majority support for the king.

After visiting Sydney and Canberra, which are 250 kilometers (155 miles) away, Charles will then travel to Samoa to open the annual Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

When his mother made the last of her 16 trips to Australia in 2011 at the age of 85, she visited Canberra, Brisbane and Melbourne on the east coast before opening the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Perth on the west coast.

Elizabeth’s grueling first Australian tour at the age of 27 included dozens of remote outback towns. An estimated 75% of the country’s population came out to see it.

Australia then followed a racially discriminatory policy in favor of British immigrants. Immigration policy has remained non-discriminatory since 1973.

Anatolytis noted that Australia was now more multicultural, with most of the population born overseas or with a parent born overseas.

“In the 1950s, we didn’t have the global interconnectedness that we have now,” she said.