Australia’s state premiers have been accused of “playing politics” after the six pulled out of hosting King Charles and Queen Camilla at a welcome reception ahead of their nine-day tour of the country.
The King is due to embark on his 17th visit to Australia this week and his first foray into a Commonwealth nation since becoming King.
But the 75-year-old has been turned on by Australian politicians, who have declined an invitation to attend his reception in Canberra on October 21.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan refused last week, saying she had a cabinet meeting. His deputy, Ben Carroll, also declined the invitation, meaning Allan’s parliamentary secretary, Nick Staikos, will represent the state.
Queensland Premier Steven Miles said he could not attend because he was working on his election campaign, while Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff said he was on a trade mission to the United States.
South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas and New South Wales Premier Chris Minns also said they would attend a cabinet meeting.
And a spokesman for Western Australian Premier Roger Cook said he had “other commitments”.
Australian Monarchist League Victorian spokesperson Bev McArthur called this apparent snub a “slap in the face” to the royal family.
King Charles III (pictured left) and Queen Camilla pose for a portrait on their official visit to Australia.
Jacinta Allan (left) turned down an invitation to welcome the King last week, claiming she had a cabinet meeting, while Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff (right) said he was on a US trade mission.
South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas (left) and New South Wales Premier Chris Minns (right) said they were attending a cabinet meeting and we couldn’t attend.
A spokesman for Western Australian Premier Roger Cook (left) said he had “other commitments” and was unable to attend the King’s welcome reception, while Queensland Premier Steven Miles (right) said He couldn’t attend because he was currently working on his election campaign.
“All the prime ministers and ministers have sworn loyalty to our monarch, Charles III, and it is a monumental insult that they now spit on his outstretched hand as a sign of friendship,” he told the Herald of the sun.
‘This is a historic opportunity to unite Australia, focus on charitable work and give back to communities. However, our immature politicians are clearly choosing to play politics.”
Opposition spokesman Brad Rowswell said he wrote to Allan in May urging her not to downplay the importance of the King’s visit.
“Sometimes leadership requires putting aside personal prejudices for the greater good,” said Mr. Rowswell.
The Mirror reported that royal sources called the snubs “deeply unprofessional” but insisted they would not affect the tour.
A source told the newspaper: “The King and Queen are incredibly excited to visit Australia and Samoa, and are looking forward to getting out and meeting as many people as possible during the visit.”
Last year, Victoria shockingly reneged on its commitment to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games, despite having to pay a considerable amount to have the event held in Glasgow.
Neither Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan (pictured left) nor her deputy Ben Carroll will attend the king’s welcome in Canberra.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said he cannot attend the Canberra welcome also due to a cabinet meeting, but will reportedly attend other events with the King.
During their trip, the King and Queen will attend a variety of events aimed at fostering relationships between communities, while highlighting their passion projects, including the environment and helping national charities.
King Charles will give a speech at the Canberra event, which will be attended by prominent Australians from various fields such as health, arts, culture and sport.
The importance of the trip is underlined by the fact that King Charles will be stopping his cancer treatment to make the trip.
The King will continue his course of treatment as soon as he returns to the UK.
It will be Charles’ 17th visit to Australia, but his first as monarch (pictured Charles in Longreach, Queensland, in 20170).
Charles was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of the disease in February following prostate surgery and has been receiving weekly treatment since.
He and Queen Camilla have committed to a busy schedule during the 11-day trip, which will include going to Samoa, where the King will attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
The couple will have around 10 commitments a day between them with only one “down day” of rest.
It comes after a Sydney Daily Telegraph poll found one in four respondents had a more favorable opinion of King Charles now than before his coronation, with just 5 per cent less positive.
Only one in three thought Australia should become a republic, well below the 39.4 percent who voted that way in the country’s 1999 referendum.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is an avowed republican and intends to hold a second referendum on whether to abandon the monarchy.
However, he cooled his plans after the Australian public overwhelmingly rejected his plans to grant greater political rights to Aboriginal people in October last year.
