Auto Amazon Links: No products found. Blocked by captcha.
The Australian people will determine whether the country retains its constitutional monarchy or becomes a republic, states King Charles, ahead of his visit to the nation next week. The Australian Republic Movement received word from Buckingham Palace expressing that “whether Australia becomes a republic” is something “for the Australian public to decide”, according to the Daily Mail. The status of the monarchy in Australia is thought to be an issue on the agenda for Charles and his wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, during their trip to Sydney and Canberra.
Representatives of a group pushing for a republic requested a meeting with the King during his visit, and the exchange of letters between the Australian Republic Movement and Buckingham Palace included the Palace’s acknowledgment that the current position would not change. The letter added, however, that the King as a constitutional monarch listens to advice from ministers and that the question of Australia’s governance rests solely with the Australian people.
In 1999 a referendum showed that a majority of Australians wished to remain a constitutional monarchy, and the current government has stated that there are no urgent plans for another referendum. Despite this, campaigners for a republic argue that Australia needs to select its own head of state, rather than the monarch. Isaac Jeffrey, a spokesperson for the Australian Republic Movement, said that while it is recognized that Charles is an individual worthy of respect, “it’s time for Australia to elect a local to serve as our head of state. Someone who can work for Australia full time.”
During King Charles’s visit to Australia, he will join community events, review the nation’s naval fleet in Sydney Harbour, meet with cancer specialists, and take part in environmental projects. The trip will be the King’s biggest excursion since his cancer diagnosis and treatments earlier this year, but his treatment regimen will be put on hold during his travels, which will continue with a visit to the Samoa for a Commonwealth summit. In December, the King will also host a state visit by the Amir of Qatar
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
Auto Amazon Links: No products found. Blocked by captcha.