King Charles and Queen Camilla have arrived in Australia for their first trip Down Under since their Coronation and while there’s been much focus on Charles, one expert believes it could be a testing trip for Camilla.
The royal duo arrived in Sydney yesterday to kick off the trip, which will also seem them visit Canberra as well as Samoa. The tour will be a landmark one for Charles as it marks his first visit to Australia – where he is also head of state – since becoming King and his first Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa since becoming head of the Commonwealth.
Not only that, but the trip also represents his first major overseas visit since being diagnosed with cancer earlier this year. However, according to royal expert and historian Dr Tessa Dunlop, with all eyes on the King, it could be a trip that Camilla finds particular difficult.
She explained to the Mirror: “The press corps have flown in and the King has postponed his cancer treatment – everyone is set for Charles’ first tour to Australia as monarch. Headlines have been full of it – the political snubs from Australia’s premiers, to the pared-down itinerary and absence of walkabouts. Will Charles’s 17th visit down under, seal the deal for Republicans or set royal hearts aflutter?
“With all eyes on the King, there has been less talk of Camilla, who will be touching down as Australia’s new queen. Her gig won’t be easy – she has giant shoes to fill and not just those of the late Queen. Against expectations, it was just over 40 years ago that Australians surprised themselves and fell in love with a fresh royal fairy story – cue the arrival of Charles and Diana on a six week tour in 1983.
“Staunchly Republican Australian Prime Minister, Bob Hawke, had been hoping that the incoming Prince and Princess of Wales would seal the deal for dumping the British monarchy. Not a bit of it. Crowd surges, overwhelmed police, flags, flowers and gridlocked roads: 1983 saw the start of a brand new phenomenon: Diana-mania.
“The public’s love was unadulterated – so much so that Prince Charles, who had been trying to woo Australia since 1966, took umbrage. Sadly Diana is long gone, but while here in Britain we have grown fond of Queen Camilla, who has been rehabilitated in our press, in Australia memories of the ‘other woman’ and Diana’s rough treatment at the hands of the royal family are more pronounced.”
But it’s not just memories of Diana that might work against Camilla in Australia, as Tessa explained another factor may hinder her popularity.
She added: “Nor has the international fall-out from the Harry and Meghan debacle helped Camilla’s cause. The Sussexes’ departure from the Royal Family followed hot on the heels of their 2018 Australia tour, with Harry subsequently airing ‘wicked stepmother’ tropes and citing Camilla’s ‘dangerous’ connections.
“The King and Queen, who have not been to Australia since Megxit, will find new dissenters in the pack. Fortunately the trip is short, and positive polling for an committed monarch with cancer bodes well, but beyond the summer sun, Queen Camilla will be on alert for a less agreeable Australia lurking in the shadows.”
