King Charles’ royal visit to Australia is not going to plan.
With Queen Camilla at his side, Charles gave a speech in the Great Hall of Parliament in Canberra on Monday.
Things started well, with Charles addressing the threat of climate change and reminiscing about past trips to Australia.
King Charles suffers embarrassing scene in Australia
At the conclusion of the King’s speech, Lidia Thorpe, an independent senator from the state of Victoria, stepped forward and loudly expressed her disapproval.
“This is not your country, you are not our king,” Thorpe shouted.
“You committed genocide against our people. Give us back our land. Give us what you stole from us – our bones, our skulls, our babies, our people,” she continued, as she was taken from the scene.
“You destroyed our land. Give us a treaty. We want a treaty in this country. You are a genocidal. This is not your land. You are not my king. You are not our king.
As security escorted her from the premises, Thorpe shouted: “Fuck the colony.”
Needless to say, this was not the kind of reception Charles had expected. And it’s the latest in a long line of setbacks for the British monarch.
Charles’s Horrible Year
In a 1992 speech, Queen Elizabeth II described the previous 12 months as “an annus horribilis”.
And as 2024 comes to an end, Charles can look back on a similar year of misfortune.
As you probably know, Charles fights cancer. And while it’s a good sign that he’s well enough to travel internationally, sources have indicated that he’s not out of the woods.
The nature and severity of the king’s illness remain a mystery.
But several media outlets reported that Charles is battling pancreatic cancera condition with a tragically low survival rate.
Whatever the case, Charles is clearly committed to carrying out his royal duties for as long as he is physically able to do so.
His visit to Australia was his first as king, and he will follow it with a trip to Samoa, where he will join world leaders at the Biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).
In accordance with the usual protocol around real scandalsCharles has yet to publicly respond to Thorpe’s allegations.
But you can bet he wasn’t happy about what happened. Those who know him best say Charles is aware of the fact that he won’t have many years to cement his legacy.
And each new controversy makes it much less likely that he will be remembered as a competent and capable king.