The King's constitutional conundrum
Charles is acutely aware of the wrongs of the past – but his hands are tied
Hi everyone, it’s Emily with my weekly newsletter.
The King and Queen began their State visit to Samoa today, after a successful – on the whole – six days in Sydney and Canberra.
In the end, it was a far cry from the “Farewell Oz” tour it had been dubbed by Australian republicans.
A “pro-monarchy alpaca”, a 10,000 strong crowd at the Sydney Opera House and some “top tucker” from a traditional barbecue tended to by the royal couple all added to the warm atmosphere that greeted them Down Under.
You can relive many of these moments and more in my colleague Tracy Schaverien’s brilliant video diaries, exclusively for paid members of club.
Video diary one: A wet but warm welcome
Video diary two: Protests and pro-monarchy alpacas
Video diary three: BBQs and operatic finales
While the King and Queen were largely well received, there were a few bumps in the road…
An outburst by senator Lidia Thorpe in the country’s Parliament hit the headlines, as she accused the monarch of “genocide” moments after he spoke about his own learnings from the “traditional wisdom’ of First Nations people in Australia.
She said later in a statement: “The British Crown committed heinous crimes against the First Peoples of this country.
“These crimes include war crimes, crimes against humanity and failure to prevent genocide. There has been no justice for these crimes. The Crown must be held accountable.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and indigenous leaders called the incident “disrespectful”, but the King, we’re told, was “unruffled” by the incident.
He may well have predicted something of this ilk might happen on his first visit there as monarch. And he has weathered worse, like a 1994 gun attack in a Sydney park.
But when it comes to addressing the legacy of British colonialism and the enduring impact of historic slavery around the world, he is between a rock and a hard place.