King Charles brushes off Indigenous protest – Royal family news

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.”

King Charles appears to have brushed off a protest from an Indigenous Australian senator on the third and final day of his tour.

During a visit to the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence (NCIE) in Sydney, the King met with First Nations elders. One told him their goal was “sovereignty” in an apparent reference to a protest on Monday.

Ms Thorpe, of English, Irish, Djab Wurrung, Gunnai and Gunditjmara descent, from Victoria, has long advocated for a treaty between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians to recognise their autonomy and set right historical wrongs.

The monarch met with brain cancer survivor Richard Scolyer at the Melanoma Institute Australia, who is in remission after undergoing pioneering surgery last year.

He also learned about the work being done at the centre to combat melanoma – one of the most commonly diagnosed types of cancer in Australia.

“That was an amazing opportunity for us to tell the king about what we’re doing here trying to deal with Australia’s national cancer, and to talk about how we’re trying to get to zero deaths from melanoma,” Mr Scolyer said.

Charles, 75, was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer earlier this year. He has temporarily paused his treatment for the duration of his ongoing tour.

The pair met at the Australian War Memorial, where the king and queen consort laid wreaths in honour of Australia’s fallen on Tuesday.

Owner Robert Fletcher said: “The King just looked in disbelief. But it’s just who Hefner is. He is an alpaca after all.

“He doesn’t bite and he doesn’t spit. He’s always on his best behaviour anyway.

“And he is a pro-monarchy alpaca.”

A statue of Queen Victoria has been defaced with red paint in Sydney ahead of the final day of the Australian leg of King Charles and Queen Camilla’s royal tour.

The statue is located close to the Sydney Opera House, where the royals met with the public today as they celebrated its 50th anniversary.

This comes hot on the heels of a high-profile protest from Australian senator Lidia Thrope, who shouted “You’re not my King!” after Charles’s speech at Parliament House in Canberra.

The royals were celebrating the 50th anniversary of the iconic opera house.

King Charles urged Australia to take a leading role in the fight against climate change in his Parliament House speech on the second day of his royal tour.

On Monday, the King asserted that Australia’s character “is hardly more vivid” than when it is “tested by disaster” and cited several examples of devastating natural events that have taken place in recent years.

He said he is always “deeply impressed” by the “extraordinary bravery and resilience” of the Australian people for their willingness to “battle on” before acknowledging the role that climate change is playing in these events.

“Australia has all of the natural ingredients to create a more sustainable, regenerative way of living, by harnessing the power with which nature has endowed the nation,” he said. “Whether it be wind or its famous sunshine, Australia is tracking the path towards a better and safer future.”

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.

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!”