King Charles vows to 'continue undeterred' after barrage of abuse in Australia

The King has vowed to “continue undeterred” on his trip Down Under, after being politician who accused the of genocide.

Charles had just paid tribute to the “timeless wisdom of indigenous people” when an independent senator shouted at him and the Queen inside Parliament House in capital Canberra.

In an awkward moment, Lidia Thorpe, wearing indigenous dress and waving a piece of paper, approached the stage in front of dumbfounded MPs and guests, shouting: “You are not my King!”

As security scrambled to remove her, she yelled at him: “You committed genocide against our people. Give us our land back, give us back what you stole from us. Our bones, our skulls, our babies, our people! You destroyed our lands, give us a treaty, we want a treaty in the country, you are a genocidalist!”

The ugly scenes were condemned from across the political spectrum. Aussie Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, a known republican, said: “The actions of the independent senator in the Great Hall were disrespectful. This is not the standard of behaviour Australians rightly expect of parliamentarians.”

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Charles and Camilla have faced low- key demonstrations during their tour of from supporters of First Nations resistance to colonisation, who have been displaying a banner with the word “decolonise” at a number of events.

However, Aunty Violet Sheridan, a senior Ngunnawal Elder who formally welcomed Charles and Camilla to her ancestral lands when they entered Parliament House, said the senator did not speak for her. She said: “We are all so disappointed by it. To have that in the Great Hall – disgusting. I am so upset about her. He has waited so long to be king, rehearsed for it all his life. He is our king, our sovereign and he has got cancer.”

Former PM Tony Abbott called it “unfortunate political exhibitionism”. Another guest, Victoria Cross recipient Keith Payne, said: “That was uncalled for and un-Australian.”

Charles and Camilla had been welcomed at Canberra airport with a traditional smoking ceremony where guests wafted burning eucalyptus – chosen for its health benefits in light of the King’s ongoing cancer treatment – over themselves. It is a ritual of welcome and protection, used to ward off bad spirits.

Earlier Ms Thorpe had nearly been arrested at the National War Memorial for trying to get near the King, who had left floral tributes with Camilla. Ms Thorpe vowed to challenge Charles, and when inside parliament she shouted: “This is not your land, you are not my King, you are not our King!” She also shouted “f**k the colony” as she was led out.

The King and Queen did not engage as the scene played out, instead turning to people next to them as music was played by an orchestra.

In 2022, a month before Elizabeth II died, Ms Thorpe called the Queen a “coloniser” while being sworn in to parliament and was forced to repeat the oath of allegiance. Ms Thorpe, who last year split from the Green Party citing its lack of focus for indigenous rights, called the ceremony “archaic and ridiculous”.

Many of Australia’s aboriginal population still carry the scars of the first nations people who were thrown out of their lands from when Captain James Cook sailed into New South Wales in 1770 aboard HMS Endeavor.

Royal aides said the King was “unfazed” by the protest and had no plans to cancel a planned trip to the National Centre Indigenous Excellence in Sydney today. Big crowds came out to see the royals in Canberra, and Charles and Camillia spent 10 minutes chatting to well-wishers.

A Palace source said: “Their Majesties were deeply touched by seeing the very many thousands who’d turned out to support them, and are only sorry they didn’t have a chance to stop and talk to every single one. The warmth and scale of the reception was truly awesome. The King will very much continue undeterred and has greatly enjoyed his time alongside the Queen in Australia.”

Last night, Australian politicians and pro-monarchy groups rounded on “isolated” Ms Thorpe. The Australian Monarchist League demanded that she resign immediately as a Senator for Victoria for her “childish demonstration”.

Aboriginal elders last week told the they would welcome the royal visit as a sign of respect, and urged the King to help them broker the return of thousands of indigenous artefacts being stored in British museums,

Noeleen Timberry, a local indigenous leader from New South Wales, said: “Now is the time for Charles to be an advocate and an ally for Australia’s indigenous people.”

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