Shropshire Star

Harry and Meghan meet Australian politician who wants to scrap monarchy

A thread of republicanism runs through Australia, despite it voting to keep the monarchy in 1999.

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Duke and Duchess of Sussex

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have met Australian Labour leader Bill Shorten, who has previously pledged to scrap the monarchy should his party gain power.

Harry and Meghan wrapped up their engagements on Friday by meeting with Mr Shorten and also Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

It comes as Australia’s relationship with the monarchy remains difficult and its political future uncertain with elections due next year.

Details of the conversations between the royal couple and the two politicians were not made public.

The Australian five-dollar note and all denominations of coin feature a portrait of the Queen, her birthday is a public holiday across all states and territories, and many of the country’s institutions – the Air Force, Navy and Mint – carry the prefix Royal.

But there is a thread of republicanism which runs through the country.

The left-wing Labour party has pushed for a vote on the issue, while former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull is also sympathetic to the republican cause.

Australia governs itself through its prime minister and its governor-general, but the Queen is still monarch of the country.

Duke and Duchess of Sussex
The royal couple also met Australian PM Scott Morrison and his wife Jenny, at Kirribilli House in Sydney (Kirsty Wigglesworth/PA)

A referendum has already been held on the issue of the monarchy, but it has done little to settle the argument.

The Yes campaign – spearheaded by Mr Turnbull and backing a change to a republic – yielded 45.1% of the vote in 1999, with the winning No campaign managing to bring together both those who were not fond of change and those who thought the proposal did not go far enough.

A statement from the Queen following the vote read: “I respect and accept this result.

“My family and I would, of course, have retained our deep affection for Australia and Australians everywhere, whatever the outcome.”

Duke of Sussex
The Duke of Sussex signed a visitors’ book at Kirribilli House (Kirsty Wigglesworth/PA)

Coinciding with the Prince of Wales’s visit to the Gold Coast in April, a Newspoll survey for an Australian newspaper found one in two Australians back the republican movement.

A total of 41% of 1,639 people asked over four days in April said they would be against scrapping the monarchy and becoming a republic.

This compared to 34% 19 years ago and 38% in August 2017.

Just days before Prince Charles arrived in Brisbane for his first official engagement, former prime minister Paul Keating claimed the royal would support Australia cutting ties with the monarchy and becoming a republic.

Mr Keating told the Sunday Times: “I have no doubt he believes Australia should be free of the British monarchy and that it should make its own way in the world.”

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