King Charles III and Queen Camilla will arrive in Australia within days, with the Sydney Opera House set to be lit up for the occasion.
This will be the King’s first visit to the country since being crowned in 2022.
The royal couple will arrive on Oct. 18, embarking on a tour of New South Wales (NSW) and Canberra.
During their time in NSW, they will visit major landmarks before attending ceremonies at the Australian War Memorial and Parliament House in Canberra.
A ceremonial welcome will take place on Oct. 21, where the King and Queen will meet with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton. Following this, they will greet the public in the forecourt at 2 p.m.
NSW Premier Chris Minns, a self-declared republican, previously declined to light up the iconic Sydney Opera House for the King’s coronation but expressed his enthusiasm for doing so this time to extend a warm welcome to the monarch.
Lighting up the Opera House comes with a price tag of between $80-100,000 (US$53-67,000).
Sydneysiders will be able to catch a glimpse of royalty at the Opera House forecourt and the Man O'War Steps at 4 p.m. on Oct. 22.
The King and Queen will also attend a community barbecue in Parramatta, with Minns providing a regional showcase supported by the NSW Agricultural Society.
Additionally, the King and Queen are set to meet with 2024 Australians of the Year, Georgina Long and Richard Schlyer, both celebrated for their work on skin cancer.
Queen Camilla will also visit a Sydney library to engage with students participating in writing workshops and the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay competition, while the King will tour the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) to discuss its efforts to battle bushfires.
The Queen is also expected to meet with the domestic violence charity GIVIT.
Notably, several premiers have declined invitations to meet with the royal couple.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan, South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas, and New South Wales and Minns will attend cabinet meetings, while Queensland Premier Steven Miles says he will be working on his election campaign.
Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff is overseas, and Western Australian Premier Roger Cook will not attend a meet-and-greet due to prior commitments.
Republic Debate Returns
The royal visit has once again stirred debate both for and against the presence of a royal family as Australia’s head of state.Polling by the Daily Telegraph found that 45 percent of Australians oppose the establishment of a republic, with only 33 percent in favour.
Despite this, the Australian Republic Movement is using the occasion for a new campaign to make the royal visit the last on Australian soil.
Australian Republic Movement co-chair Esther Anatolitis took to social media to express her contempt for Australia’s royal connection.
The campaign is called “Monarchy, the Farewell to Oz Tour.”
“It’s time to wave goodbye to royal reign,” Anatolitis said.
“This week’s visit is a valuable opportunity for us to ask that question we’ve been asking for many years—why does Australia still have a King?
Support for Monarchs
Conversely, Australian Monarchist League National Chair Philip Benwell told The Epoch Times the visit was a very important one as it was the first time a king had visited Australia.“Whilst Charles, as Prince of Wales, has made a number of visits, this is his first as King. Of course, Queen Elizabeth II also visited on many occasions since 1954,” he said.
“This is also an important visit as, due to Covid, visits to Australia have been limited. Prince William was to have visited but was unable to do so for that reason.”
Benwell said Australia enjoyed a strong relationship with the monarchy.
“The Australian Constitution is vested in the Crown and by right of the constitution King Charles III is King of Australia,” he said.
“The Royal Style and Titles Act of 1973 has also declared the monarch as sovereign of Australia. When dealing with Australian matters the King does so as our King and not as King of the United Kingdom or any of the other realms.
“Having our Australian Constitution based on the Crown provides stability and security and the protection of the freedoms of the Australian people. This is because the Crown blocks politicians from assuming total power.”
Benwell said the visit was important to Australia in many respects and was an indication of the need to maintain a monarchy in the nation.
