Royal news live: Indigenous protestor arrested by police after attempting to confront King Charles in Sydney
The King previously accused of ‘genocide’ by senator Lidia Thorpe who shouted ‘You are not my King’
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An Indigenous protestor was arrested for attempting to confront King Charles on the final day of his Australian tour.
The monarch, 75, and his supporters were targeted by Wayne “Coco” Wharton, who encouraged the crowds gathered at the Sydney Opera House to leave with the King.
Mr Wharton said: “Go home with the King. He is a King of thieves and a King of liars. You have no receipt, you have no agreement on the occupation of this country. You are a nation of thieves. You’re guilty.”
He was subsequently arrested by police – a development that was met with applause.
Mr Wharton’s daughter, Nellie Pollard-Wharton, said he was attempting to issue an arrest notice for King Charles because of the royals’ historic treatment of Australia’s aboriginal people.
This came after a visit to the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence (NCIE) in Sydney, where the King met with First Nations elders. One told him their goal was “sovereignty” in an apparent reference to a protest the previous day.
On Monday, the monarch was accused of “genocide” against Australia’s First Nations by Senator Lidia Thorpe who told him, “You are not my King.”
Ms Thorpe, from Victoria, has long advocated for a treaty between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians to recognise their autonomy and set right historical wrongs.
Lidia Thorpe protest criticised by Australian PM
Australian Senator Lidia Thorpe, who campaigns on First Nations issues, disrupted Charles’s welcome to the capital Canberra with her protest on Monday.
Her comments were criticised by Australia’s prime minister Anthony Albanese, who attend the event and later told The Australian newspaper: “The actions of the independent senator in the Great Hall were disrespectful. This is not the standard of behaviour Australians rightly expect of parliamentarians.”
Charles and Camilla plant tree at Australian National Botanic Gardens
The second day of King Charles and Queen Camilla’s ongoing tour also saw the couple visit the Australian National Botanic Gardens in Canberra.
The King not only inspected the plants on display but took the opportunity to plant a tree of his own, a water gum, which he requested to see again once it is a little bigger.
Indigenous man arrested near Sydney Opera House on final day of royal tour
An Indigenous man was arrested near the Sydney Opera House today as he protested the ongoing royal visit.
Wayne “Coco” Wharton encouraged the crowd of well-wishers to leave Australia with the King.
“Go home with the King,” he said. “He is a King of thieves and a King of liars. You have no receipt, you have no agreement on the occupation of this country. You are a nation of thieves. You’re guilty.”
Following his arrest, the crowd cheered.
As he was being led away by authorities, Mr Wharton added: “What gives you the right to do this? These systems, these police, they create this environment. This King of England has the power to sack the prime minister, why doesn’t have the power to fix the wrongs he has done?”
Police told the protestor that the hundreds-strong crowd was there “for a nice peaceful day.”
According to Mr Wharton’s daughter, Nellie Pollard-Wharton, he was attempting to issue an arrest notice for King Charles because of the historic treatment of Australia’s aboriginal people.
King Charles III meets with members of Indigenous community
King Charles was pictured embracing a member of Australia’s “stolen generation”, Uncle James Michael ‘Widdy’ Welsh.
The monarch, 75, simply said “Hugs are good” as he embraced Mr Welsh at the National Centre for Indigenous Excellence in Sydney on the third day of his tour. The surprise embrace came after Mr Welsh admitted that he does not like handshakes.
Mr Welsh, 72, was taken from his family when he was just eight years old and placed in the Kinchela boys home, where he was given the number 36.
The so-called stolen generation were systematically removed from their families in a bid to eradicate Indigenous culture. The policy came to an end in 1970.
Mr Welsh said: “It was good he was there and he appreciated the hug as he hugged me back. I had a really good feeling about him. I got the feeling he is somebody who genuinely cares.
“I wouldn’t mind sitting down and having a yarn with him, to be honest, and tell him everything that has happened and how to help the children coming up for a better future.”
Charles and Camilla complete Royal Navy fleet review
King Charles and Queen Camilla have completed the final engagement of their Australian tour – a fleet review of the Royal Australian Navy in Sydney Harbour.
This brings to a close the Australian tour of the couple’s ongoing tour. They will now travel to Samoa, where they are scheduled to undertake two days’ worth of engagements.
King Charles brushes off Indigenous protest on final day of tour
King Charles appears to have brushed off a protest from an Indigenous Australian senator on the third and final day of his tour.
During a visit to the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence (NCIE) in Sydney, the King met with First Nations elders. One told him their goal was “sovereignty” in an apparent reference to a protest on Monday.
The monarch was accused of “genocide” against Australia’s First Nations by Senator Lidia Thorpe who told him, “You are not my King.”
Ms Thorpe, of English, Irish, Djab Wurrung, Gunnai and Gunditjmara descent, from Victoria, has long advocated for a treaty between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians to recognise their autonomy and set right historical wrongs.
King Charles visits pioneering Australian cancer centre
King Charles visited a pioneering Australian cancer centre on the final day of his Australian tour.
The monarch met with brain cancer survivor Richard Scolyer at the Melanoma Institute Australia, who is in remission after undergoing pioneering surgery last year.
He also learned about the work being done at the centre to combat melanoma – one of the most commonly diagnosed types of cancer in Australia.
“That was an amazing opportunity for us to tell the king about what we’re doing here trying to deal with Australia’s national cancer, and to talk about how we’re trying to get to zero deaths from melanoma,” Mr Scolyer said.
Charles, 75, was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer earlier this year. He has temporarily paused his treatment for the duration of his ongoing tour.
In pictures: King Charles meets alpaca on second day of Australian tour
King Charles was met by an unusual royal well-wisher on the second day of his tour of Australia – nine-year-old alpaca, Hephner.
The pair met at the Australian War Memorial, where the king and queen consort laid wreaths in honour of Australia’s fallen on Tuesday.
Owner Robert Fletcher said: “The King just looked in disbelief. But it’s just who Hefner is. He is an alpaca after all.
“He doesn’t bite and he doesn’t spit. He’s always on his best behaviour anyway.
“And he is a pro-monarchy alpaca.”
Queen Victoria statue vandalised in Sydney ahead of royal visit
A statue of Queen Victoria has been defaced with red paint in Sydney ahead of the final day of the Australian leg of King Charles and Queen Camilla’s royal tour.
The statue is located close to the Sydney Opera House, where the royals met with the public today as they celebrated its 50th anniversary.
This comes hot on the heels of a high-profile protest from Australian senator Lidia Thrope, who shouted “You’re not my King!” after Charles’s speech at Parliament House in Canberra.
King Charles and Queen Camilla meet well-wishers at Sydney Opera House
King Charles and Queen Camilla have met the public at the Sydney Opera House.
Hundreds of people turned up to glimpse and meet the king and queen consort on their final day of engagements on the Australian leg of their tour.
The royals were celebrating the 50th anniversary of the iconic opera house.
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