Royal news – live: King Charles and Queen Camilla ‘snub’ by Australian leaders ahead of tour sparks backlash
Charles and Camilla to begin royal tour of Australia later this week
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King Charles and Queen Camilla are facing an embarrassing snub by leading Australian politicians ahead of their tour of the country.
As the couple prepare to kick off their nine day visit Down Under on Friday, every single state premier has turned down invitations to attend their royal reception in Canberra on October 21, reports suggest.
The King is set to deliver a speech at the event to recognise Australians for their achievements in the arts, culture, sports and health.
Victoria’s Premier Jacinta Allan is the latest representative to snub the invitation, whilst other politicians have given excuses such as “schedule clashes” and “election campaign duties”.
The first royal visit to Australia in more than a decade has sparked debate about the role of the monarchy in the Commonwealth country, with some republicans selling ‘farewell tour’ merchandise ahead of their arrival.
Australian pro-royalists have called the backlash a “slap in the face” to the royal monarchy, with the Australian Monarchists League telling local media: “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.”
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Sir Trevor McDonald says Prince Phillip’s driving was ‘slightly mad’
Sir Trevor McDonald has recalled how Prince Phillip’s driving as “slightly mad” when he was given a tour around Sandringham years ago.
The veteran broadcaster described his car journey with the then Duke of Edinburgh whilst filming the 2008 documentary The Duke: A Portrait of Prince Phillip.
“I am not allowed to say this publicly, but I thought his driving was slightly mad,” he told Cheltenham Literary Festival.
“I remember he was extraordinarily generous in giving me his time like this. But he put me in this super duper thing we are driving around, it was around Sandringham so there was nothing in his way and he would stop to wave to people who worked there and so on.
“But then we drove into a puddle of mud and he went ‘how did this bloody thing get here, why can’t I get this out’, and I thought I mustn’t say ‘because you just put it in there’.”
As the King gears up to begin his nine-day tour of Australia this week, his arrival is expected to be met with a wave of both support and opposition.
Every single state premier has turned down invitations to attend his royal reception in Canberra during the trip, and anti-royalist groups have launched a campaign dubbing the trip a royal “farewell tour”.
The republican movement calls for an end to the monarchy’s role in modern Australia - but what is the royal family’s connection to the country?
Australia is a constitutional monarchy, with the King acting as its head of state. However, the monarch does not have a role in the day-to-day running of Australia and appoints the governor-general, who is their representative, on the advice of the prime minister.
The Australian Constitution gives certain powers to the governor general to act on behalf of the King, such as giving Royal Assent to laws passed in parliament.
Prince George’s culinary ambitions revealed
Prince George has declared he’d like to run a pizza parlour before becoming King, it has been claimed.
The young royal - who is third in line to the throne - reportedly shared his culinary ambitions whilst on a trip to a cafe in Norfolk.
The owner of Wiveton Hall, a 17th-century Jacobean mansion, told the Mail Online that the prince expressed his enthusiasm when he was shown the wood-fired pizza oven on the estate.
He reportedlysaid: “That’s what I want to do when I grow up!”
Campaigners demand ‘full disclosure’ of gifts to King Charles and royals after four-year silence - ICYMI
Over the weekend, campaigners called for “full disclosure” of gifts received by the royal family after it emerged King Charles has failed to publish an annual list for four years.
Unlike MPs, members of the royal family are not required to declare gifts, donations and hospitality on a public register of interests.
Nevertheless, they began publishing an annual list of official gifts received by the royal household following scrutiny of jewellery given to Queen Camilla by a Saudi royal in 2007.
However, it has emerged King Charles and his family have not shared such a list since 2020.
Recent delays in sharing details of presents received by royals have been attributed to a challenging few years for the family, including the pandemic, the change of reign and high-profile state occasions such as the coronation, The Independent understands.
Buckingham Palace has said the list will be published in due course.
Anti-monarchy campaign group Republic has hit out at the delays, insisting: “If we demand high standards from politicians, we must demand those same standards from the royals.”
Australian anti-monarchists sell ‘farewell tour’ merch ahead of visit
Anti-royalist activists are selling “farewell tour” merchandise ahead of King Charles’ visit to Australia this week.
Charles and Camilla are set to kick off the first royal visit to the country in over a decade on Friday - but their anticipated arrival has sparked debate about the monarchy’s role in modern Australia.
The Australian Republican Movement (ARM) has branded the visit as the royal’s “farewell tour” as they campaign to separate the Commonwealth country from the monarchy.
Retro style satirical posters, T-shirts and beer coasters have been created with Charles, Camilla and Prince William on them, encouraging Australians to “wave goodbye to royal reign”. A T-shirt, featuring the royal trio in aviator sunglasses, is retailing for 34 AUD on the campaign group’s website, finished with the description: “Alright legends the stage is set... Let’s wave goodbye to royal reign! Grab this killer t-shirt to support the campaign and help take the republic movement to the main stage.”
King Charles and Queen Camilla ‘snubbed’ by Australian leaders ahead of tour
King Charles and Queen Camilla are facing a humiliating snub by leading Australian politicians, as they gear up to begin their tour of the country this week.
As the couple prepare to kick off their nine day visit down under on Friday, every single state premier has turned down invitations to attend their royal reception in Canberra on October 21.
Charles is set to deliver a speech at the event to recognise Australians for their achievements in the arts, culture, sports and health.
Victoria’s Premier Jacinta Allan is the latest representative to snub the invitation, whilst other politicians have given excuses such as “schedule clashes” and “election campaign duties”.
King Charles to ‘pause’ cancer treatment for royal tour to Australia starting this week
The King is to pause his cancer treatment during his high-profile tour to Australia next week.
Royal doctors gave Charles, 75, permission to briefly halt the weekly cycle in order to fly around the world for his key visit Down Under, followed by a state visit to Samoa in the South Pacific.
Charles and Queen Camilla will arrive in Australia on 18 October, with stops in Sydney and Canberra during their six-day visit.
King to ‘pause’ cancer treatment for Australian tour
Charles has been given the go-ahead by his doctors to briefly stop his cycle of treatment in order to fulfil his royal duties on the long-haul trip.
Melania Trump reveals she is pen pals with King Charles
Melania Trump has revealed she is pen pals with King Charles after the pair bonded over their passion for environmental conservation.
The unexpected friendship between the monarch and the former fashion model, who is married to Donald Trump, was revealed last week in her memoir, Melania.
The former First Lady, 54, explained that after their first meeting in New York in 2005, the pair reconnected in 2019 during a state visit to the UK, by which point Trump was in the White House.
Melania Trump reveals she is pen pals with King Charles
The pair are said to have bonded over their shared passion for environmental conservation
In pictures: Princess of Wales’ surprise appearance to meet Southport victim’s with Prince William
The Princess of Wales has ramped up her return to public duties by making a surprise joint appearance with Prince William to meet the bereaved families of the Southport attacks.
Marking their first joint engagement since Kate’s cancer treatment, the couple privately met the families in Merseyside last week.
The Princess, 42, is said to have attended because she wanted to show her “support, empathy and compassion to the local community”.
“Meeting the community today has been a powerful reminder of the importance of supporting one another in the wake of unimaginable tragedy,” the couple later said in a joint statement.
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