King Charles and Queen Camilla leave for their 10-day tour of Australia and Samoa this week. The Australian leg of their tour officially begins on Friday, and it looks like they will only visit Sydney and Canberra. There will be a major reception in Canberra at Parliament House, which will be attended by Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. It’s looking PM Albanese will basically be the only Australian government official there though – the state premiers of Australia have all been invited and none of them are going?
King Charles has been given a “slap in the face” by Australian politicians after he’s snubbed ahead of his visit Down Under. The monarch, 75, is jetting to the other side of the world for a nine-day tour with Camilla by his side this week.
Both King and Queen will start their trip in Sydney on October 18 before heading to capital Canberra three days later for a banquet with senior politicians. But while all State Premiers have been invited, not one has accepted to welcome Charles and Camilla at the reception, it’s reported.
Bev McArthur, spokesperson for the pro royal Australian Monarchists League called the lack of attendees a “slap in the face” to the Royal Family. She told the Herald Sun: “All premiers and ministers have sworn allegiance to our monarch, Charles III, and it is a monumental insult that they now spit in his hand extended in friendship. This is a historic opportunity to unite Australia, to focus on charitable work and to give back to communities. Yet our immature politicians are clearly choosing to play politics.”
Charles is set to address the event where political and community leaders, as well as talented Australians in art, culture and sport, will attend. But suspected excuses have poured in from state leaders. Victoria state Premier Jacinta Allan on Sunday added her name to those that have turned Charles down. Queensland Premier Steven Miles claims he has work to do on his election campaign. Meanwhile, a spokesman for Western Australia’s Premier, Roger Cook, reportedly said he had “other commitments”. South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas has also excused himself due to a regional cabinet meeting, as did New South Wales Premier Chris Minns. Minns is expected to attend several other events with the King during his time in Aus.
This is hilarious. I wondered if Charles would get a less-than-enthusiastic reception in Oz, but I thought that Australians would at least greet him with some sympathy because of his cancer. Turns out, not so much. Turns out, people just don’t give a f–k. You’ve got to think that Buckingham Palace would have preferred silent antipathy over Australian officials publicly declaring “I have to wash my hair that night” when invited to a reception with the king.
Meanwhile, the Australian Republican Movement is selling special merch for Charles and Camilla’s tour. ARM is calling this the Windsors’ “farewell tour” Down Under: “On satirical posters, T-shirts, beer coasters and other paraphernalia, ARM’s campaign depicts the King, Queen and Prince of Wales as aging rock stars and urges Australians ‘young and old’ to ‘wave goodbye to royal reign’.”
It’s worth considering the fact that this is the first “major royal tour” to Australia undertaken by senior royals since Harry and Meghan’s tour in 2018. The Sussexes’ tour was hugely successful, showcasing the Windsors’ two most charismatic rock stars and soft-power diplomats. That was also the tour which scared the sh-t out of the Windsors. The smear campaign was launched soon after. Everything these horrible people wished for Harry and Meghan has come back on the Windsors tenfold.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.