Brisbane, Australia CNN —
On Monday, Britain’s King Charles III had just finished speaking in Australia’s Parliament House when an Indigenous senator started shouting, “You are not my king.”
As security guards tried to escort her away, independent senator Lydia Thorpe shouted at the royal couple from the back of the room: “Give us back your land, give us back what you stole."
The intervention came as King Charles and Queen Camilla visited Australia’s capital Canberra to meet with the country’s leaders, including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
In his speech, Prince Charles acknowledged the existence of Australia’s indigenous people, who lived here for tens of thousands of years before British settlers arrived more than 230 years ago.
“Throughout my life, Australia’s indigenous people have given me the great privilege of generously sharing their stories and cultures,” Charles said.
“I can only speak to how much my own experience has been shaped and strengthened by such traditional wisdom.”
Earlier, a traditional Aboriginal welcome ceremony was held for the royal couple outside Parliament House, but they are not welcome to many of the country’s indigenous peoples.
When British settlers arrived in Australia, they committed massacres of indigenous people in hundreds of locations across Australia until the 1930s. Their ancestors continue to suffer racism and systemic discrimination in a country that has been unable to reverse centuries of disadvantage.
Thorpe, a Djabu Ulun Gunnai Gandhimara woman, has been campaigning for a treaty for many years and has previously spoken out against the British monarchy.
Australia’s indigenous peoples have never ceded their sovereignty or been involved in a treaty process with the British Crown. Australia remains a Commonwealth country, with the King as head of state.
At the 2022 swearing-in ceremony, Thorpe referred to Australia’s then-head of state as “Colonizing Queen Elizabeth II” and was asked to take the oath again.
She did so, raising her fist in the air.
Indigenous MP calls Queen Elizabeth a colonizer during ceremony
According to Australian media, Thorpe turned away during a recital of “God Save the King” before yelling at Charles. Images showed her wearing a possum fur coat and standing facing away from other attendees.
The Green Party said in a statement that while the King’s presence was “a momentous occasion for some”, for many Indigenous people it was “a visual reminder of ongoing colonial trauma and the legacy of British colonialism”. “It is also something that encourages people to do things.”
In a statement, Green Party senator Dorinda Cox, a Yamatji Noongar woman, called on the king to make clear his recognition and support for “Indigenous justice, truth-telling and healing.”
“He needs to be on the right side of history now,” she added.
The Australian Monarchist Alliance called for Mr Thorpe’s resignation after what it described as a “childish demonstration”.
The King and Queen have not commented on the controversy, but when asked about the incident, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Prince Charles was doing a “fantastic job”.
Mr Starmer told reporters on Monday: “In the context of health, you have to remember that he is carrying out a public function despite having health problems himself. I think he’s doing a great job.”
Alpaca sneezing with royal supporters
Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla arrived in Sydney on Friday as part of the monarch’s first visit to Commonwealth territory since accession to the throne.
This is the king’s first long-distance, multi-country visit since he was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year, and the itinerary is said to have been shortened on the advice of doctors.
Monday’s trip began with a meet-and-greet with supporters, many waving Australian flags, but activities were a blur.
Among them was an alpaca named Hefner, who caught the king’s attention and immediately sneezed.
Royal fan Chloe Palethorpe, 44, said she was excited about the royal tour and had been writing letters to the royal family since she was 10 years old.
“We love the work of the Royal Family and how it impacts the local community, and we support what we do, including volunteering and community service,” she said in France. told the news agency.
A 21-gun salute heralded the king’s arrival at Parliament, and Albanians gave speeches praising the royal couple’s charity work.
He also commented that the King was early on aware of the “serious reality of climate change” and the need for humanity to “take meaningful and effective action against it.”
To reflect his concern for the environment, the King was invited to plant trees in the Parliament House and Botanical Gardens.
The royal couple’s next stop will be in Sydney on Tuesday for a public reception outside the Opera House, before heading to Samoa to attend the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), the monarch’s first time as head of government. I’m planning to fly.
This story has been updated with additional developments. CNN’s Angus Watson contributed reporting.
Correction: This article has been updated to reflect that Lydia Thorpe is an independent senator and is no longer a member of the Green Party.
