On the final day of his tour of Australia, King Charles and Queen Camilla appeared in public for the first time at Sydney’s Opera House where an Aboriginal demonstrator, Wayne Wharton, was arrested. Wayne is a leading Indigenous activist from Brisbane who shouted anti-monarchist slogans like “he’s not my King” and refused to move when police ordered him to do so. His protest echoed the views of Indigenous Senator Lidia Thorpe, who heckled King Charles when he arrived in Canberra yesterday and sparked a huge public debate.
The fervent royalists in the crowd cheered at the arrest of Wharton, many of whom had arrived remarkably early that morning, all dressed up in British-themed garb and union jack flags to celebrate the royal visit. While Indigenous activists such as Thorpe were applauded for their actions, leaders and politicians in the country condemned her behavior as utterly discourteous, increasing the media controversy regarding Indigenous views on the monarchy.
On the same day, King Charles also stopped over at the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence in Redfern to see Aboriginal elders, continuing an effort by the king and the royal family to reach out to the Indigenous communities on the tour. Indeed, the royal visit, particularly the situations surrounding the protests, have drawn attention to tensions concerning Indigenous rights and the legacy of the monarchy in Australia.