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King Charles III was CALLED OUT during his Australian trip!
As Perezcious readers know, Charles and his wife Queen Camilla have been Down Under since late last week in Charles’ first big royal visit since his cancer diagnosis. On Monday, the 75-year-old gave a speech at the Australian Parliament in Canberra — only for a senator to protest!
Related: Melania Trump Says King Charles Is Her Pen Pal
Lidia Thorpe, an Aboriginal Australian politician, started shouting at the royal right after he finished his speech, yelling:
“You are not our King! You are not sovereign. You committed genocide against our people. Give us what you stole from us: our bones, our skulls, our babies, our people. You destroyed our land!”
As security guards ushered her out of the room, she continued:
“Give us a treaty — we want a treaty, we want a treaty with this country.”
She continued:
“This is not your land. This is not your land. You are not my King, you are not our King.”
Whoa!
See the viral moment here:
For the record, this same politician also slammed Queen Elizabeth II back in August 2022 when she was being sworn in as senator. So she wasn’t saving up for Charles. According to the BBC, Lidia is a longtime campaigner for a treaty between Australia and its first inhabitants. Despite her noteworthy interruption, Charles remained composed and Buckingham Palace did not have a comment on the protest.
That said, a palace insider gushed about the crowds of people who had greeted the royals throughout their visit, telling ABC News:
“[They are] deeply grateful to the very many thousands who 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 Telegraph also noted that in his speech moments before this outburst, Charles praised the First Nations people, thanked them for their welcome, and paid respects to “the traditional owners of the lands on which we meet.” He added:
“In my many visits to Australia, I have witnessed the courage and hope that have guided the nation’s long and sometimes difficult journey towards reconciliation.”
For decades now, there have been calls for Australia to become a republic — though according to a poll by The Times, the support for the movement has decreased slightly in recent years. Charles has maintained he believes the decision is a matter for the public to decide. This outburst has certainly brought a new spotlight to the cause!
Thoughts?? Let us know (below).
[Image via Lidia Thorpe/Instagram & MEGA/WENN]
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