King Charles III and Queen Camilla have set off on a nine-day royal tour of Australia and Samoa, where the monarch will take his seat as head of the Commonwealth – and we want to know your thoughts
As King Charles III begins his royal tour of Australia and Samoa, we want to know if YOU think the Commonwealth should still exist?
The royal tour is set to be met with anti-monarchy protests during the King and Queen’s five-day visit to Sydney and Canberra, following growing calls for Australia to become a republic. It’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been described as a “lifelong republican”, with a long-held aim of breaking ties with the British monarchy and assigning democratically elected heads of state.
While Mr Albanese will formally welcome Charles and Camilla, it was recently reported that not one State Premier will greet the royal couple at a reception on October 21, despite all being invited. Last year, a YouGov poll revealed that one in three Australians supported becoming as republic as soon as possible, while a similar number wanted to remain a constitutional monarchy for the long-term.
The King, who is head of state in Australia and 14 other Commonwealth realms, will attend a range of events aimed at fostering relations between communities, alongside highlighting their passion projects including the environment and helping domestic violence charities. However, many anti-monarchy campaigners have branded the visit a “farewell tour” of the British monarchy.
According to France 24, Adam Spencer from the Australian Republic Movement suggested that support for the monarchy is wavering and Charles “should not be king of Australian subjects”. Chief executive officer of the UK organisation Republic, Graham Smith, has also travelled to Australia to “talk about why the UK should ditch the monarchy.”
He said: “I’m not here to tell Australia to become a republic, but to talk to Australians and the British press about the growing republican movement in the UK and the huge failings of the British monarchy. The message is simple: Charles does not speak for us, he does not represent us, he should go home.”
The organisation has also called for Commonwealth nations to contribute to the “true cost” of the monarchy, which they claim is £500 million a year for the taxpayer, reports the Independent. Mr Smith added: “On a simple ‘user pays’ principle surely every country should pay for their own head of state. We can probably leave the smaller states out of it, but there’s no reason Australia, New Zealand and Canada can’t pay up.”
The monarch is also scheduled to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa, which will bring together delegations from member countries across Africa, the Caribbean and Americas, Europe, Asia, and the Pacific. The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 56 independent and equal countries, with Gabon and Togo being the last to join in 2022.
He will also host a reception for New Heads of Government and attend the CHOGM Business Forum, where they will share progress on solutions to tackle climate change. Anna Whitelock, a professor of the history of the monarchy at City University, labelled Charles a “genuine eco-warrior”, adding: “Focusing specifically around environmental issues, I think, will really play to his strengths and show that actually he has a really meaningful role he could play in the Commonwealth.”
Meanwhile, Camilla will attend a Women’s Forum, with a focus on eliminating violence against women and improving health. Around 2.5 billion people live in the Commonwealth countries, and some of these were previously in the British Empire, while others have voluntarily chosen to join the global club.
The UK Parliament describes the Commonwealth of Nations as: “An international union of nations working together to promote a number of common values and goals, such as democracy, human rights, good governance, and the rule of law.”
As the nine-day royal tour kicks off, we want to know if YOU think the Commonwealth should still exist. Vote in our poll HERE to have your say.
The Mirror will also be discussing the topic with you in the comments section below and you can join in! All you have to do is sign up, submit your comment, register your details and then you can take part.
