King’s surprising response to republic question before Australia tour

King Charles will be taking an “anti-confrontational approach” to Australia’s republic issue. Photo / Getty Images
The King has issued a surprising response to a question about Australia’s future before his five-day tour to the country this week.
King Charles has declared he won’t be blocking the push to make Australia a republic during his tour of the country this month.
The stance comes after a request by the Australian Republic Movement (ARM) for a meeting with the monarch during his five-day tour of Sydney and Canberra from October 18-23.
The invitation was responded to by his private secretary, Dr Nathan Ross, who told ARM the King planned to stay out of the debate.
In the response, Ross emphasised the King’s “deep love and affection” for Australia and said he would be taking an “anti-confrontational approach” to the issue.
“Please be assured that your views on this matter have been noted very carefully,” the response stated.
“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.”
A Buckingham Palace spokesman has since said: “Like his mother before him, it has always been the case that His Majesty the King feels that it is a matter for the Australian people.”
The King and Queen Camilla will arrive in Sydney on Friday.
It will be the King’s first overseas visit since taking the throne after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, two years ago and comes following his cancer diagnosis this year.
Australia’s last visit from an English monarch was by Queen Elizabeth II, who visited Canberra, Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth in 2011.
The republic movement was reignited after the death of the Queen in 2022.
However, the push was shut down this year by the federal minister tasked with leading the movement, who declared it was “not a priority” amid cost-of-living pressures.
Assistant Minister for a Republic Matt Thistlethwaite was left to defend the viability of his portfolio after admitting it was harder for the government to pitch a referendum on ditching the monarchy after the Voice to Parliament vote failed.
Last year, a YouGov poll found 32% of Australians wanted the country to transition to a republic as soon as possible; 35% said they wanted Australia to remain a monarchy.
As part of news.com.au’s Great Aussie Debate last year that surveyed more than 50,000 people, 46.7% of Aussies said they were happy to stay in the Commonwealth, compared with 28.9% who believed it was time to become a republic. A further 15.3% of people said they “don’t care”.