An Australian politician interrupted King Charles’s address at Australia’s Parliament today with a foul-mouthed rant after he finished a speech praising his welcome to the country.
Senator Lidia Thorpe, a high-profile Indigenous activist with a track record of stunts at major political events, screamed out ‘f*** the colony’ and ‘you are not my king’ at Parliament House in Canberra on Monday.
Dressed in a native fur coat, she shouted: ‘You committed genocide against our people. Give us our land back.
‘Give us what you stole from us. Our bones, our skulls, our babies, our people. You destroyed our land.
‘Give us our treaties. We want a treaty in this country. You are a genocidalist. This is not your land, this is not your land.’
Senator Thorpe then repeatedly yelled, ‘Not my king,’ as she was led out of the room by security.
Before her outburst, she had turned her back as the Australian anthem God Save The King was played.
Buckingham Palace declined to comment on Thorpe’s outburst in Parliament House, but sources brushed off the lone protestor, saying Their Majesties were ‘deeply touched’ at the warmth of the welcome they had received throughout the day.
During the tirade, King Charles and Queen Camilla were seen laughing off the politican’s heckling.
The activist politician launched a foul-mouthed tirade at the King during his visit to Parliament House
Her tirade came during King Charles III’s first visit to Australia as monarch
Firebrand Indigenous politician Lidia Thorpe has interrupted King Charles’ address at Parliament House with a foul-mouthed rant, after he finished his speech praising Australia
King Charles, Queen Camilla and Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s partner Jodie Jaydon attend the parliamentary reception in Canberra, Australia
Senator Thorpe screamed out ‘f**k the colony’ and ‘you are not my King’ in a rant which led to her being removed from Parliament House
King Charles and Queen Camilla are pictured reacting to Senator Thorpe’s outburst in Parliament House
Senator Thorpe was quickly led away by security at Parliament House
Other politicians watched on as the activist was removed
King Charles III and Queen Camilla arrive for a visit at Canberra Airport on October 21, 2024 in Canberra, Australia
King Charles III views The Royal Guard of Honour during the Ceremonial Welcome to Australia
They were welcomed by cheering crowds and schoolchildren waving Australian flags
The King and Queen were met with loud cheers from the hundreds of well-wishers, drowning out a handful of protestors with a ‘decolonise’ banner calling for indigenous rights and waving Palestinian and Lebanese flags
Earlier in the day, Senator Thorpe appeared close to being arrested while protesting the visit of the King and Queen Camilla to Canberra.
A confrontation with police took place at an Indigenous protest outside the Australian War Memorial.
A group of some two dozen Indigenous protesters positioned themselves outside the Memorial, chanting ‘always was, always will be Aboriginal land’.
The group was well away from where the King and Queen appeared.
Senator Thorpe was seen arguing with a police officer who held onto her shirt. She then pulled her shirt off and stormed away from the cop.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla waves at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, Monday, October 21
He greeted royal wellwishers and shook their hands at the event on Monday
Buckingham Palace declined to comment on Thorpe’s outburst in Parliament House, but sources brushed off the lone protestor, saying Their Majesties were ‘deeply touched’ at the warmth of the welcome they had received throughout the day
‘Everything that we suffer in this country is because of that colonial invasion,’ Senator Thorpe said after the tussle.
Despite the outburst, King Charles and Queen Camilla received the warmest of welcomes on their first full day of engagements in Australia – from the sun that finally came out, to the crowds on the streets.
Handed armfuls of flowers, toy koalas and even some kangaroo jerky, the couple were repeatedly thanked for making the long journey over, particularly in light of His Majesty’s on-going cancer treatment.
Arriving at St Thomas’ Anglican Church in North Sydney in the morning the royal duo, who enjoyed a down day yesterday after their gruelling flight, were met with loud cheers from the hundreds of well-wishers, drowning out a handful of protestors with a ‘decolonise’ banner calling for indigenous rights and waving Palestinian and Lebanese flags.
A handful of locals shouted ‘get lost’ and ‘get a life’ in frustration, while one man told them: ‘Be thankful you live in a free society where you can argue across the street.’
Fans waiting inside the church grounds – including dozens of Sunday school children – were thrilled to shake hands with the King and Queen, while others described the ongoing republican debate as a ‘bore’.
Afterwards one child delightedly shouted ‘I touched the King!’ ‘It was so good, he was so kind,’ said another little girl.
Before her outburst, Senator Thorpe had turned her back as the Australian anthem was played
Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe argues with a police officer at a protest outside the Australian War Memorial
King Charles III and Queen Camilla sign the visitors book during the ceremonial welcome to Australia at Australian Parliament House in Canberra
King Charles III signs another visitor’s book as Queen Camilla stands next to him at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra
A Palace source said: ‘Their Majesties were deeply touched by seeing and hearing 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. While they are grateful to all the crowds, Their Majesties particularly enjoyed hearing individual stories of those who’d made such a special effort to be there.’
The couple did undertake a planned meet and greet outside the parliament building, but it only lasted a few minutes despite the many hundreds who had turned out for a glimpse of them.
Many said they had queued from 8am in blistering heat and some had even flown in from other cities, including Cairns, in order to pay their respects.
It is understood their programme was
running 15 minutes late after meeting similar huge crowds who had turned out at the war memorial earlier in the day.
Sources said that sadly despite the King and Queen’s best endeavours, not everyone could be greeted in person.
They emphasised the couple were ‘very grateful’ for all the support they had received.
The scale and warmth of welcome from very many thousands at both venues was a truer indicator of the mood of the day than a lone noisy protestor, they said.
Earlier the The King and Queen arrived in Canberra on a Royal Australian Air Force jet to be greeted with a welcome to country and smoking ceremony.
King Charles shakes hands with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese while attending a Parliamentary reception at Parliament House in Canberra
King Charles III meets members of the public during a walkabout outside Parliament House
Hundreds of royal fans lined the streets to meet the King and Queen
Camilla wore a stunning white dress as she beamed at excited royal wellwishers
Matching her white dress with a pair of light grey sunglasses and beige heels, she met her fans
Australians were out in force to welcome the royals on their tour of the country
Aunty Serena Williams and Robert Palm officiated over the smoking ceremony on behalf of the Ngunnawal community. The traditional gesture burns native plants.
Palm, 49, lit leaves as part of the traditional ceremony and the King and Queen were encouraged to waft the smoke towards them with their hands.
Palm said: ‘They smiled and said it was really nice. They were wafting the smoke towards them to clear the passage so they can have a good journey in this land. It takes away bad spirits.
‘They will sleep like babies tonight because it has eucalyptus leaves and lemon grass leaf. We knew because of his cancer we wanted to make it really nice and fragrant.’
After being greeted by officials they met school children Ruby, 11 and Loui[corr], 12, pupils from nearby Bonython Primary School, which was opened by the late Queen in 1992.
Loui described the meeting, for which he had been selected at random by his teachers, as a ‘once in a lifetime opportunity.’
They were also greeted by wheelchair-bound Indigo Young, 11 from Cranleigh School.
Thorpe has a history of stunts including slamming the late Queen as a ‘coloniser’ and calling her ‘genocidal’ despite declaring that she was not going to ‘come out ranting and raving’ after the monarch’s death.
She was elected as member of the Greens but quit the party in February last year over disagreements concerning the proposed Indigenous Voice to Parliament.
Now sitting as an independent, she has been an outspoken critic of the monarchy and Britain’s arrival on the Australian continent in 1788.
King Charles III views The Royal GUard of Honour during the Ceremonial Welcome to Australia at Australian Parliament House in Canberra
Monday is the second day of his royal visit to Australia and Samoa
Britain’s King Charles and Queen Camilla attend the Australian War Memorial
King Charles held his hand against the memoria while displaying a set of medals pinned to his suit
Queen Camilla also inspected the war memorial beside her husband the King
Britain’s King Charles III and Queen Camilla arrive at the Australian War Memorial accompanied by Australian War Memorial Council Chair Kim Beazley
In a statement released on Monday, Senator Thorpe said the British Crown and King Charles should be prosecuted for ‘genocide’.
She also said a treaty with Indigenous Australians ‘must be central’ in any move towards a republic.
She said First Nations Australians should play a key role in rewriting the Constitution, and a charter or rights should be established to enshrine the universal declaration of human rights and the United Nations declaration on the rights of Indigenous Peoples.
‘There’s unfinished business that we need to resolve before this country can become a republic,’ Senator Thorpe said.
‘This must happen through Treaty. We can move towards a Treaty Republic now. The two processes are not opposed, they’re complimentary.’
‘As First Peoples, we never ceded our Sovereignty over this land. The Crown invaded this country, has not sought treaty with First Peoples, and committed a Genocide of our people. King Charles is not the legitimate Sovereign of these lands.’