The King has faced indigenous activists questioning the supremacy of the British monarchy for a second day as he tours Australia.
When Charles met First Nations elders during a visit to the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence (NCIE) in Sydney on Tuesday, one told him their goal was “sovereignty” in an apparent reference to a protest the previous day.
On Monday, the monarch was accused of “genocide” against Australia’s First Nations by senator Lidia Thorpe who told him, “You are not my King.”
The Indigenous senator has spoken out to explain why she confronted Charles after his parliamentary adress.
Ms Thorpe, from Victoria, has long advocated for a treaty between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians to recognise their autonomy and set right historical wrongs.
The independent politician has now said that as current King, Charles should “answer for” the “thousands of massacre sites” in Australia.
She told Sky News hours after her appearance at parliament: “We have our bones and our skulls still in his possession – or in his family’s possession. We want that back. We want our land back and we want your King to take some leadership and sit at the table and discuss a treaty with us.”
During their tour of Australia, Charles and Camilla have faced low-key protests from supporters of First Nations’ resistance to colonisation, with a banner with the word “decolonise” displayed at a number of events.
Lidia Thorpe protest criticised by Australian PM
Australian Senator Lidia Thorpe, who campaigns on First Nations issues, disrupted Charles’s welcome to the capital Canberra with her protest on Monday.
Her comments were criticised by Australia’s prime minister Anthony Albanese, who attend the event and later told The Australian newspaper: “The actions of the independent senator in the Great Hall were disrespectful. This is not the standard of behaviour Australians rightly expect of parliamentarians.”
Charles launches Australian version of his King’s Foundation charity
The King has launched an Australian version of his King’s Foundation charity.
Charles unveiled the plans for The King’s Foundation Australia at a special reception at Admiralty House in Sydney during his high-profile royal tour.
The charity’s first project will be as the custodian of the Hillview Estate in Sutton Forest, New South Wales, working to restore the historic property and its surrounding land.
The state-heritage listed former summer residence of the governor of New South Wales will serve as The King’s Foundation Australia’s permanent base and be developed as a “landmark cultural hub”, the charity said.
Inspiration has been taken from the regeneration of Dumfries House – an 18th century mansion in Ayrshire, Scotland, which now acts as The King’s Foundation’s headquarters after it was saved for the nation in 2007 by a consortium led by Charles as the Prince of Wales.
The King set up his original foundation, previously called The Prince’s Foundation, to train the next generation of skilled craftspeople – including in building, carpentry, fashion and textiles – in heritage techniques essential to many traditional industries.
Practical education and training programmes in traditional and heritage craft will also be developed at Hillview.
Kristina Murrin, the Australian-born chief executive of The King’s Foundation, said the new foundation was a sign of Charles’s affection for Australia.
Watch: Alpaca sneezes on King Charles during walkabout in Australia
Charles and Camilla take charge of the tongs at Sydney ‘sausage sizzle’ barbeque
The King and Queen flipped sausages on a barbecue when they joined locals in a park for a taste of suburban life in Sydney.
In New South Wales’ blistering sunshine, Charles and Camilla gave chefs a hand tending the snags – or sausages – grilling on the barbecue.
The King was handed some tongs and clicked them in anticipation and the Queen did the same before they set about making sure the “top tucker” cooked evenly, with Charles looking after the vegetarian option and his wife the beef bangers.
Restaurant manager Scott McCoy, 42, was looking after the barbecue and said it was an “honour” to have some royal helpers.
Known by his nickname Chop, he added: “They said the sausages were amazing, they didn’t try them but they could see.”
The 42-year-old who manages the BlackBear BBQ restaurant in Sydney said: “It’s amazing they’re here helping us to cook.”
In a speech to the guests, Charles said: “… I am so delighted to be here, in Parramatta – an excellent choice for a community barbecue, since Parramatta was a place where First Nations people from around the region also came together for generations to meet and to trade food.
“It is a particular delight to see and smell all the ‘top tucker’ here today, from Western Sydney’s vibrant and diverse community.”
He added: “As we are happily rediscovering today, New South Wales farmers continue to produce truly outstanding food and wine.
“It is no wonder, I think, that Sydney is world famous for its cuisine, whether it’s smashed avo, a pav, or a Cab Sav and that is what I hope has been on display!”
King faces Indigenous activists for second day in a row on Australia tour
The King was confronted for a second day by First Nations activists questioning the supremacy of the British monarchy in Australia.
When Charles met Indigenous elders during a visit to the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence (NCIE) in Sydney one told him their goal was “sovereignty”.
The visit came after the King was accused on Monday of “genocide” against Australia’s First Nations by senator Lidia Thorpe who told him “You are not my King”.
Elder Allan Murray from the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council appeared to reference Senator Thorpe’s words in his Sydney greeting.
Charles nodded as he said: “Welcome to country. We’ve got stories to tell, and I think you witnessed that story yesterday in Canberra, but the story is unwavering and we’ve got a long way to achieve what we want to achieve and that’s our own sovereignty. But welcome to Gadigal land.”
Watch moment King Charles heckled by Australian senator Lidia Thorpe: ‘You are not my King’
This is the moment senator Lidia Thorpe heckles King Charles during a reception in Australia’s parliament.
The monarch had just finished addressing lawmakers in Canberra on Monday when Ms Thorpe shouted “This is not your land. You are not my King.”
She continued raising her voice in protest, saying “Give us our land back. Give us what you stole from us! Our bones, our skulls, our babies, our people.
“You destroyed our land. Give us a treaty!”
Security stopped Ms Thorpe from getting close and ushered her out of the chamber as the King turned to talk to prime minister Anthony Albanese.
Full story: King Charles heckled by Australian senator shouting ‘you are not my king’
As he finished his speech, senator Lidia Thorpe approached the stage and shouted for around 30 seconds, saying “this is not your country”.
“You committed genocide against our people. Give us our land back. Give us what you stole from us – our bones, our skulls, our babies, our people,” said Ms Thrope, an outspoken advocate for Indigenous rights.
Read the full story below:
Senator Lidia Thorpe shares beheaded King Charles cartoon on Instagram after monarchy heckle
An Australian senator who confronted King Charles in parliament has shared a cartoon showing the monarch beheaded on social media.
Lidia Thorpe, 51, an outspoken advocate for Indigenous rights, shouted at the King in a fiery address during his royal reception in Great Hall of Parliament House on Monday.
She approached the stage shouting “you are not my king” and accusing the King of “committing genocide against our people”, as she urged him to negotiate treaty between Australia‘s First Nations and its government.
After her protest, the independent politician took to social media to further reiterate her position, sharing a cartoon showing a beheaded King Charles to her Instagram story.
The original post, shared by artist Matt Chun, was captioned with Thorpe’s words she directed at the King earlier on Monday: “You are not our king. You are not sovereign.”
Read the full story here:
Voices: It takes more than an angry Aussie heckler to ruffle King Charles’s feathers…
During his tour of Australia, the King has found himself a lightning rod for republican protests, which was to have been anticipated – but might it have been dealt with more deftly by his handlers, asks Hugo Vickers:
Source: independent.co.uk