King Charles Believes Australia Keeping Him Head of State Is ‘a Matter for the Australian Public to Decide’

Mar. 15, 2025

King Charles waves to the crowds after attending the Royal Maundy Service at York Minster on April 6, 2023 in York, England.Photo: Ian Forsyth/Getty

Ahead of his upcoming visit to Australia,King Charleshas said he would not stand in the way if the country wanted to become a republic.

King Charles, then Prince of Wales, and Queen Camilla, then Duchess of Cornwall, walk on Broadbeach on April 5, 2018 in Gold Coast, Australia.Mark Metcalfe/Getty

Mark Metcalfe/Getty

“The visit will also be a key test of the King’s popularity as monarch,” according to theTelegraph, which added that the September 2022 death of Queen Elizabeth “was widely believed to have increased Australians’ mood for constitutional change to a republic.”

TheDaily Mailreported that ARM had written to Buckingham Palace requesting a meeting with King Charles when he arrives in Australia. The group added that support to leave the Crown behind to become a republic was growing amongst Australians, and added in the correspondence that it was time for the country to stand “on equal footing with other nations.”

Australia remains one of the 14 countries globally to retain the British monarch as its head of state. In 2021,Barbados became the most recent countryto become a republic, but it remains a key Commonwealth ally and enjoys a warm relationship with the U.K., according to theDaily Mail.

In response, Dr. Nathan Ross, an aide to the King, emphasized Charles’ “deep love and affection” for Australia, adding, “Please be assured that your views on this matter have been noted very carefully.”

“His Majesty, as a constitutional monarch, acts on the advice of his ministers and whether Australia becomes a republic is, therefore, a matter for the Australian public to decide,” he wrote.

Nathan Hansford, co-chairman of ARM, said the group’s invitation for the King to meet with them was “politely declined.”

King Charles and Queen Camilla stand on the Buckingham Palace balcony in London following their coronations on May 6, 2023.Leon Neal / POOL / AFP

After announcing the King and Queen’s royal visit earlier this year, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was forced to shelve plans for a referendum on replacing the King as head of state. To pass a referendum in Australia, more than 50% of Australians must vote yes, and the vote must win support in a majority of states, theTelegraphreported.

While Down Under, Charles and Camilla will visit both Sydney and Canberra before heading to Samoa and the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) there. This tour marks Charles’ first visit to a Commonwealth realm since his reign began in September 2022, and also the first tour of this scale and scope since he announced earlier this year he had beendiagnosed with cancer. Last week, news emerged that the Kingwill “pause” cancer treatmentswhile abroad and will resume them when back in the U.K.; he will alsotravel with two doctorson the trip.

Prince Charles, then Prince of Wales, and Camilla, then Duchess of Cornwall, laugh after a bee took a liking to Charles during their visit to the Orokonui Ecosanctuary on Nov. 5, 2015 in Dunedin, New Zealand.Rob Jefferies/Getty Images

Rob Jefferies/Getty Images

While in Australia, “the itinerary has been designed with the King’s health in mind,” theTimesreported. “The King and Queen will have a rest day, and there will be no evening engagements.”

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In Samoa, Charles will participate in CHOGHM, as he is the head of the Commonwealth association of 56 nations. The summit is held every two years, and while in Samoa the King and Queen will arrive in the evening and attend a state dinner. The palace said thatthe couple’s engagements in both nations“will focus on themes designed to celebrate the best of Australia and Samoa, as well as reflecting aspects of the King and Queen’s work.”

source: people.com