The Indigenous senator who confronted King Charles has spoken out to explain why she shouted at him after his parliamentary adress.
Senator Lidia Thorpe told the monarch “you are not my king” and demanded a treaty between Australia‘s First Nations and its government on Monday.
Ms Thorpe, an Indigenous woman from Victoria, has long advocated for a treaty between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians to recognise their autonomy and set right historical wrongs.
The independent politician has now said that as current King, Charles should “answer for” the “thousands of massacre sites” in Australia.
She told Sky News hours after her appearance at parliament: “We have our bones and our skulls still in his possession - or in his family’s possession. We want that back.
“We want our land back and we want your King to take some leadership and sit at the table and discuss a treaty with us.”
Charles and Camilla have faced low-key protests during their tour of Australia from supporters of First Nations resistance to colonisation, who have been displaying a banner with the word "decolonise" at a number of events.
Key Points
- King Charles confronted by Australian senator after landmark speech
- Charles and Camilla continue tour after being confronted at parliamentary address
- Lidia Thorpe says royal family still has Indigenous ‘bones and skulls'
Prime minister praises King’s ‘fantastic’ work in Australia despite cancer
Monday 21 October 2024 17:02
Alexander Butler
The British prime minister has praised the King’s “fantastic” work during his Australia tour despite facing cancer.
Sir Keir Starmer made the comments after Charles was berated by Australian senator Lidia Thorpe, who accused the King of “genocide” against her nation’s indigenous people.
“I think the King is doing a fantastic job, an incredible ambassador, not just for our country, but across the Commonwealth,” Sir Keir said on Monday.
“We should remember in the context of health, that he is out there doing his public service notwithstanding, you know, the health challenges he himself has had - so I think he’s doing a great job,” he added.
Today in pictures: Charles and Camilla’s visit to Canberra
Monday 21 October 2024 17:00
Athena Stavrou
Senator Lidia Thorpe shares beheaded King Charles cartoon on Instagram after monarchy heckle
Monday 21 October 2024 16:22
Athena Stavrou
An Australian senator who confronted King Charles in parliament has shared a cartoon showing the monarch beheaded on social media.
Lidia Thorpe, 51, an outspoken advocate for Indigenous rights, shouted at the King in a fiery address during his royal reception in Great Hall of Parliament House on Monday.
She approached the stage shouting “you are not my king” and accusing the King of “committing genocide against our people”, as she urged him to negotiate treaty between Australia‘s First Nations and its government.
After her protest, the independent politician took to social media to further reiterate her position, sharing a cartoon showing a beheaded King Charles to her Instagram story.
The original post, shared by artist Matt Chun, was captioned with Thorpe’s words she directed at the King earlier on Monday: “You are not our king. You are not sovereign.”
Read the full story here:
Voices: It takes more than an angry Aussie heckler to ruffle King Charles’s feathers…
Monday 21 October 2024 15:45
Athena Stavrou
During his tour of Australia, the King has found himself a lightning rod for republican protests, which was to have been anticipated – but might it have been dealt with more deftly by his handlers, asks Hugo Vickers:
Lidia Thorpe protest criticised by Australian PM
Monday 21 October 2024 15:15
Athena Stavrou
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.”
What did King Charles say in his speech before he was confronted?
Monday 21 October 2024 14:44
Athena Stavrou
In his speech to the Australian parliament on Monday, Charles spoke affectionately about his relationship with Australia, a country he first visited as a teenager, saying he arrived as an “adolescent” and left more “chiselled” after his experience studying in the Outback.
He also highlighted the debt he owed to Australia’s Indigenous people.
Charles said: “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.
“Throughout my life, Australia’s First Nations peoples have done me the great honour of sharing, so generously, their stories and cultures. I can only say how much my own experience has been shaped and strengthened by such traditional wisdom.”
Footage revealed of King Charles’ visit to Australia in 1966
Monday 21 October 2024 14:15
Athena Stavrou
The Royal Family has posted footage of King Charles visiting Australia as a young man.
In a post on X, they said: “In 1966, when he was seventeen, The King spent two terms at Timbertop in the mountains of south-eastern Australia.
“The co-educational campus of Geelong Grammar School is located near Mansfield in Victoria, and combines normal schooling with outdoor activities, such as hiking, trail running, cross-country skiing and camping, to foster independence and initiative.”
In 1966, when he was seventeen, The King spent two terms at Timbertop in the mountains of south-eastern Australia.
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) October 19, 2024
The co-educational campus of Geelong Grammar School is located near Mansfield in Victoria, and combines normal schooling with outdoor activities, such as hiking,… pic.twitter.com/6jjLzylZbi
Charles and Camilla travel back to Sydney
Monday 21 October 2024 13:44
Athena Stavrou
King Charles and Queen Camilla have now returned to Sydney to continue their royal tour of Australia, following an intense day in Canberra.
The couple will spend their final day of their visit touring the Sydney Opera House and partaking in a review of the Royal Australian Navy fleet before heading off to Samoa.
Indigenous Elder ‘disappointed’ by Thorpe’s protest
Monday 21 October 2024 13:15
Athena Stavrou
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, he has rehearsed for it all his life.
“He is our king, our sovereign and he has got cancer.”
Full report:King Charles heckled by Australian senator shouting ‘you are not my king’
Monday 21 October 2024 12:46
Athena Stavrou
King Charles‘s landmark address to Australia’s Parliament House on Monday was disrupted by a protesting Indigenous senator shouting “you are not my king” and accusing him of “committ[ing] genocide against our people”.
The King and Queen Camilla are on a five-day tour of Australia and Charles addressed the Great Hall of Parliament House on Monday in one of the most important engagements of his first visit to the country as monarch.
As he finished his speech, senator Lidia Thorpe approached the stage and shouted for around 30 seconds, saying “this is not your country”.
Read the full report here:
Australian senator’s statement ahead of King’s arrival
Monday 21 October 2024 12:23
Athena Stavrou
In a statement released ahead of King Charles’s arrival on Friday, Lidia Thorpe described the British monarch as “not the legitimate sovereign of these lands” and said the monarchy had “committed a genocide of our people”.
“There’s unfinished business that we need to resolve before this country can become a republic. This must happen through Treaty,” Thorpe said.
“We can move towards a Treaty Republic now. The two processes are not opposed, they’re complimentary.”
Alpaca amongst the crowds welcoming the King
Monday 21 October 2024 12:04
Athena Stavrou
Charles and Camilla were earlier welcomed at Canberra airport with a traditional smoking ceremony where guests wafted burning eucalyptus over themselves, chosen for its health benefits in light of the King’s ongoing cancer treatment.
The royal couple commemorated Australia’s war dead at the national memorial, laying floral tributes as hundreds of well-wishers turned out to see the couple – including an alpaca who sneezed in front of the King.
Hello Canberra! pic.twitter.com/z2SlJEiFcf
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) October 21, 2024
Watch moment King Charles heckled by Australian senator Lidia Thorpe: ‘You are not my King’
Monday 21 October 2024 11:54
Athena Stavrou
This is the moment senator Lidia Thorpe heckles King Charles during a reception in Australia’s parliament.
The monarch had just finished addressing lawmakers in Canberra on Monday when Ms Thorpe shouted “This is not your land. You are not my King.”
She continued raising her voice in protest, saying “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 a treaty!”
Security stopped Ms Thorpe from getting close and ushered her out of the chamber as the King turned to talk to prime minister Anthony Albanese.
Charles and Camilla visit war memorial
Monday 21 October 2024 11:28
Athena Stavrou
Charles and Camilla have visitied the Australian War Memorial as they continue their second official day of their tour of Australia.
The couple had a moment of reflection at the ‘For our Country’ Memorial to “acknowledge the deep connection that First Nation Australians have with their land and the role they continue to play in defending it”.
They paid their respects hours after they were confronted by an Indigenous Australian senator who accused Charles of being a “genocidalist” and asked for a treaty between Australia‘s First Nations and its government.
We remember the service and sacrifice of all Australians who have died during war.
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) October 21, 2024
As well as visiting the @AWMemorial, Their Majesties had a moment of reflection at the ‘For our Country’ Memorial to acknowledge the deep connection that First Nation Australians have with their… pic.twitter.com/aTvSaJxcdW
Australian PM commends royal’s ‘warm welcome’ after Parliament confrontation
Monday 21 October 2024 11:10
Athena Stavrou
Australia’s prime minister has hailed the “warm welcome” King Charles has received on his visit to Australia, hours after he was confronted in parliament by a senator saying he was “not my King”.
Anthony Albanese shared photos of Charles and Camilla’s visit so far to social media and said: “A warm welcome to King Charles today from school students, members of our Defence Force, and distinguished Australians from across our nation in his first visit as sovereign.”
Mr Albanese has a long-term aim of steering Australia towards a becoming a republic but the plans are on hold after Australians overwhelmingly rejected a plan to give greater political rights to indigenous people in a referendum held last year.
A warm welcome to King Charles today from school students, members of our Defence Force, and distinguished Australians from across our nation in his first visit as sovereign. pic.twitter.com/Rtzxozv7I2
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) October 21, 2024
Latest pictures from Australia as royals continue tour
Monday 21 October 2024 10:50
Athena Stavrou
Lidia Thorpe: Who is the Indigenous Australian MP who accused King Charles of genocide on royal tour?
Monday 21 October 2024 10:35
Athena Stavrou
Australian senator Lidia Thorpe has made headlines around the world after denouncing King Charles following his Parliament House reception speech.
Ms Thorpe, an Indigenous woman from Victoria, has long advocated for a treaty between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians to recognise their autonomy and set right historical wrongs.
Ms Thorpe, a Gunnai, Gunditjmara and Djab Wurrung mother, grandmother, is a well-known activist for Indigenous causes. Her recent actions, however, have been described as her most high-profile protest to date.
Read our full profile below:
Lidia Thorpe says royal family still has Indigenous ‘bones and skulls'
Monday 21 October 2024 10:18
Athena Stavrou
The Indigenous senator who confronted King Charles has spoken out once more to claim that the “bones and skulls” of Aboriginal people are still in possession of the royal family.
She told Sky News hours after her appearance at parliament: “We have our bones and our skulls still in his possession, or in his family’s possession. We want that back.
“We want our land back and we want your King to take some leadership and sit at the table and discuss a treaty with us.”
Senator explains “genocidalist” claims
Monday 21 October 2024 10:02
Athena Stavrou
Lidia Thorpe, the Indigenous Australian senator who confronted the King, has explained why she called him a “genocidalist”.
She told SkyNews: “There’s thousands of massacre sites in this country from invasion and someone needs to answer for it. He is the successor then he needs to answer.”
She went on to say: “We are the real sovereigns in the country. The King is not our sovereign. The King lives in your country [the UK]. He’s from your country he can’t be our King.
“I have the support of Aboriginal people around this country. I have the support from my grandmother, I have the support from elders around the country.”
Senator Thorpe confronted the King for ‘truth-telling'
Monday 21 October 2024 09:53
Athena Stavrou
Senator Lidia Thorpe is now speaking after confronting King Charles during his royal reception in Australia’s parliament.
After his speech, Ms Thorpe approached Charles and told him: “You are not my King”.
She is now speaking to Sky News about her decision to challenge the monarch.
“I did it for truth telling,” she told SkyNews. “Global-truth telling about the royals who caused so much devastation to not only people in this country but indigenous people around the world.”
Charles and Camilla visit Botanic Gardens after parliamentary address
Monday 21 October 2024 09:26
Athena Stavrou
King Charles and Queen Camilla visited the Australian National Botanic Gardens on Monday after being confronted during their reception at the country’s parliament.
On the second day of their royal visit to Australia, the couple met members of the public as they also visited the National Bushfire Behaviour Research Laboratory on their visit to Canberra.
Australian senator condemns Lidia Thorpe’s comments
Monday 21 October 2024 09:12
Athena Stavrou
Lidia Thorpe’s colleagues have responded to her confrontation of King Charles during his visit to the country’s parliament.
Senator Ralph Babet took to social media to condemn Ms Thorpe’s comments, in which she told Charles “you are not my King,” and accused him of committing “genocide against our people”.
He wrote on X: “I condemn in the strongest possible terms the actions of Senator Lidia Thorpe today at Parliament House where she hurled verbal abuse at our King.
To show such utter disrespect to King Charles, who has traveled to Australia, despite ongoing cancer treatment, is disgusting. Senator Thorpe has disgraced not only herself and the Australian Parliament, but every Australian man, woman and child.
“Senator Thorpe demanded an apology from King Charles, I’d say it’s King Charles and the Australian people that should be demanding an apology from Senator Thorpe.”
I condemn in the strongest possible terms the actions of Senator Lidia Thorpe today at Parliament House where she hurled verbal abuse at our King.
— Senator Babet (@senatorbabet) October 21, 2024
To show such utter disrespect to King Charles, who has traveled to Australia, despite ongoing cancer treatment, is disgusting.… pic.twitter.com/hG9UaQOw3E
Watch live: King Charles and Queen Camilla continue tour of Australia in Canberra
Monday 21 October 2024 08:53
Athena Stavrou
The King and Queen after continuing their tour of Australia after they were confronted by an Indigenous MP during their parliamentary adress.
It is understood the King was unruffled and did not let the outburst overshadow what the royal party viewed as a wonderful day in the Australian capital, which had seen them greet hundreds of well-wishers at the national war memorial – including a sneezing alpaca.
Earlier, hundreds of people had gathered outside Australia’s parliament house for a chance to meet the royal couple.
Watch live here:
What did King Charles say in his speech before he was confronted?
Monday 21 October 2024 08:35
Athena Stavrou
In his speech to the Australian parliament on Monday, Charles spoke affectionately about his relationship with Australia, a country he first visited as a teenager, saying he arrived as an “adolescent” and left more “chiselled” after his experience studying in the Outback.
He also highlighted the debt he owed to Australia’s Indigenous people.
Charles said: “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.
“Throughout my life, Australia’s First Nations peoples have done me the great honour of sharing, so generously, their stories and cultures. I can only say how much my own experience has been shaped and strengthened by such traditional wisdom.”
Who is the Australian senator who confronted King Charles?
Monday 21 October 2024 08:21
Athena Stavrou
During his parliamentary address on Monday, Australian senator Lidia Thorpe confronted King Charles, telling him “You are not my King”.
She is an Indigenous independent politician and became the first Aboriginal senator for the state of Victoria in 2020.
Born into family of prominent Aboriginal activists, Thorpe regularly speaks out about the monarchy’s impact on Indigenous people.
She was sworn into parliament wearing a traditional possum-skin cloak in 2020, carrying an Aboriginal message stick with 441 marks, representing each Indigenous person who had died at the time since the 1991 royal commission into deaths in custody.
In 2022, she was forced to re-do her oath into parliament after she referred to the late Queen Elizabeth as “the colonising Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II”.
Prince William reveals ‘crucial motto of being a parent’ to George, Charlotte and Louis
Monday 21 October 2024 08:00
Alex Croft
The Prince of Wales has shared the simple parenting motto he and the Princess of Wales use to keep their young children happy at an engagement.
William, 42, made the revelation while attending a game hosted by the NFL Foundation UK in London on Tuesday, where he was gifted a football for Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, nine, and Prince Louis, six.
Expressing his appreciation for the gift at the Kennington Park hockey pitch, he said: “Oh, that’s very kind. Never go home empty handed! That’s a crucial motto of being a parent.
Senator explains decision to confront King Charles
Monday 21 October 2024 07:53
Athena Stavrou
The senator who confronted King Charles has said she wanted to send a “clear message” to the King during his visit on Monday.
Lidia Thorpe shouted at the King after he finished his speech during his reception in Australia’s parliament. She told the BBC afterwards: “To be sovereign you have to be of the land. He is not of this land.”
She added that the King needed to instruct Parliament to discuss a peace treaty
She said the King needed to instruct the Parliament to discuss a peace treaty with the first peoples.
“We can lead that, we can do that, we can be a better country - but we cannot bow to the coloniser, whose ancestors he spoke about in there are responsible for mass murder and mass genocide,” she told the broadcaster.
Watch moment King Charles heckled by Australian senator Lidia Thorpe: ‘You are not my King’
Monday 21 October 2024 07:43
Athena Stavrou
This is the moment senator Lidia Thorpe heckles King Charles during a reception in Australia’s parliament.
The monarch had just finished addressing lawmakers in Canberra on Monday when Ms Thorpe shouted “This is not your land. You are not my King.”
She continued raising her voice in protest, saying “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 a treaty!”
Security stopped Ms Thorpe from getting close and ushered her out of the chamber as the King turned to talk to prime minister Anthony Albanese.
Charles confronted by Australian senator after landmark speech
Monday 21 October 2024 06:47
William Kirby
King Charles‘s landmark address to Australia’s Parliament House on Monday was disrupted by a protesting Indigenous senator shouting “you are not my king” and accusing him of “committ[ing] genocide against our people”.
The King and Queen Camilla are on a five-day tour of Australia and Charles addressed the Great Hall of Parliament House on Monday in one of the most important engagements of his first visit to the country as monarch.
As he finished his speech, senator Lidia Thorpe approached the stage and shouted for around 30 seconds, saying “this is not your country”.
Read the full story here:
ICYMI: Princess Anne attends performance by world’s oldest riding academy
Monday 21 October 2024 05:53
Alex Croft
The Princess Royal attended a performance in London by the world’s oldest riding academy.
Eight riders and up to 26 horses from the Spanish Riding School carried out perfectly synchronised routines set to classical Viennese music on Friday evening.
The Vienna-based academy has been practising classical horsemanship for more than 450 years, and performed tonight to a horse-enthusiast and former Olympic rider in Princess Anne.
She joined model Lady Victoria Hervey, influencer Chuggs Wallis and thousands of fans to view the spectacle at the OVO Arena Wembley.
Radio and TV presenter Nicki Chapman, who hosted the show, said: “Hosting the opening night of the prestigious Spanish Riding School tour, with The Princess Royal in attendance, was an absolute honour.
“It’s been eight years since the Lipizzaner horses and their incredibly talented riders last visited the UK, and sharing the magic with both the Princess Royal and the British public made the evening all the more unforgettable.”
Behind-the-scenes look at Buckingham Palace £360m renovation
Monday 21 October 2024 03:47
Alex Croft
The royal family have shared a behind-the-scenes look at Buckingham Palace as a 780-strong team undertake a £360 million refurbishment of the historic building.
As part of the palace’s reservicing programme, work is taking place in the basement, replacing old electrical cabling with brand new cables under the floors and throughout the historic building.
In a new video, released by the royal family this month, workers can be seen pulling some of the 25,000 metres of cable through the basement.
The vast amount is equivalent to the weight of 12 elephants and runs the length of 250 football pitches.
Footage revealed of King Charles’ visit to Australia in 1966
Monday 21 October 2024 01:39
Alex Croft
The Royal Family has posted footage of King Charles visiting Australia as a young man.
In a post on X, they said: “In 1966, when he was seventeen, The King spent two terms at Timbertop in the mountains of south-eastern Australia.
“The co-educational campus of Geelong Grammar School is located near Mansfield in Victoria, and combines normal schooling with outdoor activities, such as hiking, trail running, cross-country skiing and camping, to foster independence and initiative.”
In 1966, when he was seventeen, The King spent two terms at Timbertop in the mountains of south-eastern Australia.
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) October 19, 2024
The co-educational campus of Geelong Grammar School is located near Mansfield in Victoria, and combines normal schooling with outdoor activities, such as hiking,… pic.twitter.com/6jjLzylZbi
King and Queen visit Anglican church in Sydney
Sunday 20 October 2024 23:31
Alex Croft
Prince and Princess of Wales mark Black History Month with inspiring stories
Sunday 20 October 2024 21:29
Alex Croft
William and Kate have marked Black History Month by sharing stories of unsung heroes within the Black community.
“This year’s theme of ‘Reclaiming Narratives’ encourages us to shine a spotlight on the untold stories, the unsung heroes, and the everyday individuals making a big difference,” they wrote on X.
The royal couple posted a thread of eight people who they believed deserved recognition for the work they are doing serving their community.
Marking Black History Month and recognising the incredible contributions of the black community, not just this month but every day of the year!
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) October 19, 2024
This year’s theme of ‘Reclaiming Narratives’ encourages us to shine a spotlight on the untold stories, the unsung heroes, and the…
Report: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reportedly buy vacation home in Portugal
Sunday 20 October 2024 19:30
Alex Croft
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have reportedly purchased a vacation home in Portugal.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex decided to add another house in addition to their California property, according to multiple outlets. This would be their first home in Europe since 2023.
The Independent has reached out to representatives for the Sussexes for comment.
There is also the opportunity to acquire a Golden Visa, which is a citizenship program that allows people to earn legal rights in a country through investing in their economy. To qualify for a golden visa, applicants typically need to meet minimum investment requirements in real estate, government bonds, or other approved assets.
Brittany Miller reports:
King in Australia to ‘renew’ his love for the country
Sunday 20 October 2024 17:31
Alex Croft
“What a great joy it is to come to Australia for the first time as Sovereign, and to renew a love of this country and its people which I have cherished for so long,” King Charles told the New South Wales parliament.
The royal family posted more images of his visit in a post on X.
“What a great joy it is to come to Australia for the first time as Sovereign, and to renew a love of this country and its people which I have cherished for so long.”
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) October 20, 2024
This afternoon, The King spoke at a reception to recognise the Bicentenary of the Legislative Council of the… pic.twitter.com/UHgBZqbjPz
In pictures: King meets public and politicians outside New South Wales parliament
Sunday 20 October 2024 15:32
Alex Croft
Watch: Sarah Ferguson becomes first British royal on TikTok with poignant cancer video
Sunday 20 October 2024 13:35
Alex Croft
Charles and Camilla join churchgoers
Sunday 20 October 2024 11:37
Alex Croft
Charles and Camilla have joined churchgoers at St Thomas’ Anglican Church, which the rector’s wife described as a “great honour”.
The King and Queen met young members of the congregation at the door of the church, where Charles was presented with a rugby ball, cricket ball and stuffed koala, for his grandchildren Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
The rector’s wife said: “It’s a great honour for us as it’s the first opportunity for the public to see the King and Queen.”
Republican protestors were heard shouting “not my King” as the couple arrived at the church. Around a dozen people, who supported the First Nations resistance to colonisation movement, held up a banner with the word “decolonise”.
Charles also saw his friend and former polo teacher Sinclair Hill, considered Australia’s greatest ever player, who was joined by his wife Wendy Hill.
Ms Hill said afterwards: “He is a lovely man and the fact that he has not been well and still came… The effort he puts in to talk to all these people. I thought he looked terrific.”
King presents gift to local parliament celebrating 200th anniversary
Sunday 20 October 2024 09:39
Alex Croft
King Charles presented an hourglass to the upper house of an Australian local parliament
