On the second day of his official visit to Australia, King Charles III was met with a dramatic interruption from an independent senator, Lidia Thorpe, who shouted, “You are not my King!”
This was shortly after his address at Parliament House in Canberra.
The moment unfolded as King Charles rejoined Queen Camilla on stage, following his speech.
Thorpe, an outspoken advocate for Indigenous rights, interrupted the ceremony by walking from the back of the assembly and making accusations of genocide against her people.
Thorpe’s protest lasted about a minute before security escorted her out of the hall.
Despite the disruption, the ceremony continued without further acknowledgement of the incident.
The royal couple moved outside to greet the public, where crowds had gathered since the morning to catch a glimpse of the King and Queen.
Among the well-wishers was Jamie Karpas, a 20-year-old who expressed excitement about the royal visit, saying, “The Royal Family is part of Australian culture.
They play a big role in our lives.” Others, like CJ Adams, a US-Australian student, noted the historical significance of King Charles as the head of state,
remarking, “You’ve got to take the experiences you can get while in Canberra.”
Thorpe, an independent senator from Victoria and an Aboriginal Australian, has been a longtime advocate for a treaty between Australia’s government and its Indigenous peoples.
She emphasized that Indigenous sovereignty had never been ceded, underscoring a sentiment shared by many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Australia remains one of the few ex-British colonies without a formal treaty with its Indigenous populations.
King Charles and Queen Camilla’s visit comes amidst ongoing debates about Australia’s ties to the British monarchy.
While Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, a known Republican, has ruled out another referendum on the monarchy in the near future.
Polls suggest growing support for Australia to become a republic.
Despite the tense moment, the visit had its lighter side earlier in the day when the King delighted onlookers by petting an alpaca wearing a small crown, after visiting Canberra’s war memorial.
This was his first to Australia since succeeding Queen Elizabeth II, was shorter due to his ongoing cancer treatment.
