King Charles III of Great Britain will not interfere if Australia decides to become a republic. This is stated in a letter from Buckingham Palace to the Australian Republican Movement (ARM), reports the Daily Mail.
Ahead of a visit to Australia next week, the king told Australian anti-monarchists that he would not intervene if the people of Australia ever voted to abandon the British crown.
In a letter to the Australian Republican Movement (ARM), which had previously written to Buckingham Palace requesting a meeting with the King next week, Deputy Private Secretary nathan ross highlighted Charles III’s “deep love and affection” for Australia. ARM members said in a letter to the monarch that the time had come for their country to be “on an equal footing with other countries” internationally and that the idea was gaining increasing support.
“Please be assured that your views on this matter have been taken into full consideration. “Her Majesty, as a constitutional monarch, acts on the advice of her ministers and therefore the question of whether Australia becomes a republic must be decided by the Australian public.” —Ross wrote.
As the ARM co-president said Nathan Hansfordthe invitation to the meeting was “politely declined.”
The last referendum on this issue took place in 1999, and almost 55% of Australians voted against the resignation of the head of state, the newspaper notes. In January this year, the Australian government said it had indefinitely shelved new voting plans, with ministers emphasizing it was “not a priority”.