I’m still doing some upkeep on King Charles and Queen Camilla’s tour of Australia, which is now completed. They arrived in Samoa today, after spending only four full days in Australia. I don’t think the Australian leg of the tour went well, but I also don’t think Charles and Camilla will receive the same kind of backlash Prince William and Kate received in 2022, during and following their disastrous Caribbean flop tour. Will and Kate’s 2022 tour made global headlines for their tone-deaf staging, colonialist attitudes and inability to be modern or project modernity. Charles and Camilla’s tour was not modern either, but that’s not their brand. Their brand is supposed to be nostalgic and old. They delivered, but few are buying it. Well, Piers Morgan is trying to hype these two waxworks, probably because he’s such good friends with Camilla. He must be looking at completely different photos, because Piers claims that thousands of people came out for the royals and that the Sussexes’ “campaign” to smear Charles and Camilla has failed. O RLY??
What a right royal triumph! The first tour of Australia by a reigning British king had threatened to be a damp squib disappointment after days marred by rain, noisy anti-Monarchy protestors, and a series of pathetic political snubs culminating in an idiot attention-seeking senator screaming at Charles about his supposed complicity in committing genocide against Aboriginals.
But the Aussie people didn’t get the royal-bashing memo, and in a stunning outpouring of joyful support, out they came in huge numbers at the iconic Sydney Opera House to pay tribute to King Charles and Queen Camilla on the final day of their short but historic trip. More than 10,000 people from all over the country appeared in glorious sunshine to greet their royal visitors, far more than had been anticipated, and to be honest, far more than I feared would be the case.
The enthusiasm and excitement for the King and Queen was palpable and will have delighted the Palace. It was also a brilliant retort to the graceless royal critics who tried to wreck the tour, led by foul-mouthed imbecile Lidia Thorpe, the senator who screamed “YOU’RE NOT MY KING!” and “F*CK THE COLONY!” at Charles during an event in Canberra on Monday. She also bellowed: “You committed genocide against our people. Give us our land back. Give us what you stole from us. Our bones, our skulls, our babies, our people. You destroyed our land.”
This trip’s spectacular success has served as a timely reminder that the Monarchy remains a massively important rock at the heart of not just the UK but so many other Commonwealth nations like Australia. And that the best way for senior royals to retain the support and respect of the public is for them to behave in a dignified, dutiful way that puts serving the people above all else.
For all the embarrassing and very damaging shenanigans of Harry and Meghan, and their disgraceful campaign to smear the royals as a bunch of callous racists, the Firm have emerged stronger than ever despite loss of their great Matriarch, and despite the new King and his daughter-in-law the Princess of Wales fighting cancer.
The fact that Piers included so many quotes from Lidia Thorpe’s protest… what’s going on there? Is he rage-baiting or is there an ulterior motive? It feels like a typical British journalist thing, of not directly criticizing the Windsors but fully quoting their biggest critics (all while decrying said critics). As for the mention of Meghan, Harry and “callous racists”… Piers was the one who identified Charles and Kate as the “royal racists.” He was a vital part of that whole storyline. It feels like something’s cooking under the radar. This weekend’s papers should be interesting. Also: I’m including a photo of C&C outside the Sydney Opera House and you can see for yourself how few people came out for the Windsors.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.