LONDON, OCT 15 – King Charles III this week embarked on his first visit to Australia as monarch, reigniting debate over whether the country should sever ties with the British monarchy and become a republic.
King Charles, who was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year, put his treatment on hold for the nine-day visit, which also took part in a Commonwealth summit in the Pacific island nation of Samoa.
The visit to the two countries comes amid growing demands for reparations for slavery from Caribbean leaders whose countries are members of the 56-nation club of mostly former British colonies.
In Australia, where King Charles is also head of state, anti-monarchy groups have been selling farewell tour merchandise to supporters.
The head of the British Republic campaign, which wants an elected head of state and is behind high-profile protests in the UK, including during the coronation of King Charles, has also traveled there to plan events and demonstrations.
Meanwhile, the press Daily Mirror Britain reported that all Australian prime ministers had declined invitations to meet the king at a reception in the nation’s capital, Canberra. There was no immediate confirmation on that.
However, a YouGov poll last year showed that a third of Australians supported becoming a republic as soon as possible while the same number wanted to remain a constitutional monarchy.
The deputy chairman of the Australian Republic Movement, Adam Spencer insisted that support for the monarchy was faltering and that King Charles should not be the king of the Australian people.
The first leg of the October 18 to 26 tour saw King Charles, 75, and his queen, Queen Camilla, 77, travel to Sydney and Canberra before attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa. – AFP
