It’s time the monarchy left these shores, forever

“We are but a Realm in the King’s eye. And you cannot be a realm without being subservient to the throne,” writes Warwick McFadyen.

King Charles III and his wife the Queen Camilla arrive in Australia on Friday. Three cheers for the king! It is the first time Charles has been to our shores since he became monarch, and it is more than a decade since we have been blessed with a visit by the British monarch.

Of course, there will be enthusiastic crowds lining the paths of Charles and Camilla as they but wander past and there will be bunting and flags and cheers on high. How could there not be? For truly how inoffensive are the creatures?

Not at all, except for this. Australia doesn’t need them. We don’t need the monarch of the United Kingdom to be our head of state. We simply don’t. It’s been 25 years, a generation ago, that we held a referendum on becoming a republic. It failed.

Australians were asked to vote on: ‘‘A Proposed Law: To alter the Constitution to establish the Commonwealth of Australia as a republic with the Queen and Governor-General being replaced by a President appointed by a two-thirds majority of the members of the Commonwealth Parliament. Do you approve this proposed alteration?’’

Fifty-five per cent of voters said, No. This was despite many opinion polls over the years saying we thought it might be time we let go the shackles and stand as one free of monarchical ties. As with nearly everything on this continent, however, the specifics were drowned in the caterwauling, vindictiveness and pettiness of politics. In the end, we shrugged off the movement, and slumbered our way into the future.

It is worth reading from the Palace despatches on this tour. The language is telling, and frankly offensive to anyone who sees this country as an entity to and of itself.

‘‘Their Majesties The King and Queen will undertake an Autumn Tour from Friday 18th – Saturday 26th October 2024. This will include a Royal Visit to Australia, State Visit to The Independent State of Samoa and attendance at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2024.

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“The King’s visit to Australia will be His Majesty’s first to a Realm as Monarch, whilst the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa is the first The King will attend as Head of the Commonwealth. In both countries, Their Majesties’ engagements 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.

‘‘In Australia, His Majesty, as Head of State, accompanied by Her Majesty The Queen, will visit Parliament House, in Canberra, where Their Majesties will be welcomed by the Prime Minister, Mr Anthony Albanese. His Majesty will address a reception attended by political and community leaders, and prominent Australians who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in a variety of fields, including health, arts, culture and sports.’’

And so on.

Notwithstanding that of course those who write these things must perpetuate the language of kings and underlings, but seriously, ‘‘The King’s visit to Australia will be His Majesty’s first to a Realm as Monarch?’’

There you are, we are but a Realm in the King’s eye. And you cannot be a realm without being subservient to the throne. Here, we have a king, who has an agent in the governor-general, looking over us. This may be seen only as symbolic, but symbols matter, especially in the realm of nations.

It is axiomatic that Australia is changing, has been changing for decades, in its demographics and in its outlook towards the world. We do not need a link, formed from sailcloth of the empire’s ships, tying us to Ye Olde country. It’s time for another referendum. It’s time to grow up.

CODA: There is something both surreal and absolutely what one would expect of a monarch that the king is travelling with supplies of his own blood. Of course, while we might have plenty of the standard variations of the blood of a human, we are dealing with a king. And as everyone knows, it is of only one type: blue.