Australia will never ditch the monarchy to become a republic during the lifetimes of the Prince and Princess of Wales, leading Aussies have declared.
Former prime minister Tony Abbott told the Sunday Express he is confident his countrymen and women will not abandon their nation’s historic links to the Crown.
Champions of the monarchy in Australia believe the personal popularity of William and Kate and the good sense of Aussies who do not want a politician as president will prevent a breaking of the royal connection.
Mr Abbott told the Sunday Express: “I am sure the common sense of the Australian people means that a republic will never happen in my country and in any event, Wills and Kate are overwhelmingly the most popular members of the Royal Family.”
Research shows that support for a republic has gone into reverse since the 1999 referendum on ending Australia’s status as a constitutional monarchy.
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The bond between Australia and the Crown was turbo-charged last year when the King and Queen visited the nation after doctors gave the go-ahead to the historic royal tour. William and Kate have been advised to spend as much time as possible in this key Commonwealth state to further strengthen the connections.
Former Australian foreign minister Alexander Downer insists there is “no prospect of Australia becoming a republic in the foreseeable future”.
Stating Australians do not want to replace the monarchy with a “politician as president,” he said: “The King and Queen and the Prince and Princess of Wales are both hugely popular in Australia... It would be complicated to make Australia a republic, requiring not just legislation through the parliament but a referendum.
“Australians have much higher priorities than holding a series of constitutional referendums which would only throw the country into a divisive debate when people have other priorities for their private lives.”
David Flint, the national convenor of Australians for Constitutional Monarchy, went even further, saying he had “every confidence” support for the monarchy would “continue under the reigns of William V and George VII.”
He said the “elitist view” in Australia is that a “republic is inevitable”. But he said republicans cannot agree on “how their president and their state governors are to be chosen”.
Mr Flint claimed republicans wrongly expected support for the monarchy would collapse following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
“I often pointed out that the world would be in such sorrow and respect that her passing would be a bigger media event than anything else at the time and that the funeral and then the coronation would capture the attention of the world,” he said. “The result would be an increase in support for the Crown in Australia.
“That happened. That support is continuing under the reigns of Charles III.”
Voters were asked in a 1999 referendum if Australia should become a republic and they said No by 55% to 45%. In November last year, YouGov found support for a republic has declined in the quarter of a century since. Its polling found that if the referendum was held again the result would be 59% in favour of keeping the monarchy with 41% supporting a republic.
The Australian Monarchist League handed out around 15,000 flags during the King and Queen’s tour in what was seen as further proof of the enduring warmth towards the Royal Family.
Philip Benwell, the national chair of the league, said: “The royal tour by King Charles III and Queen Camilla in October 2024 saw tens of thousands of people travelling to Canberra and Sydney not just to see the King and Queen but to warmly greet them.”
He said that a referendum on the monarchy would require “not only a nationwide majority but a majority in the six states” and this meant there is “little likelihood that the Prince and Princess of Wales will see a formal move to a republic in Australia during their lifetime”.
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However, Esther Anatolitis, co-chair of the Australian Republic Movement, said: “Our future republic is an inevitability – and it will be a unifying moment for Australia. We’re simply not monarchists by nature.
“Australians are egalitarian people who believe in elected, not inherited, leadership. With 92% of Australians open to becoming a republic, and 60% of us preferring an Australian head of state to Charles III, it’s well within King Charles’s lifetime that we look forward to the Australian republic.”
William and Kate toured Australia in 2014 – a visit which included Prince George’s first royal engagements.
Royal commentator Christopher Wilson said that if they want to preserve the monarchy in Australia they must spend time there.
He warned they will “face the stiffest test” of any royals in seven decades to “keep the Australian doubters onside” because “social media allows royal critics a louder voice than ever before”.
“Against that they have glamour, charm, commitment and a lovely young family which many of the younger generation will feel comfortable with,” he said. “Keeping Australia onside is one of William’s major challenges over the next few years, which will involve a considerable amount of feet-on-the-ground activity.
“How he fits that in with the many other challenges he faces with a depleted royal squad remains to be seen. But Australia will look forward to the couple’s next visit with eager anticipation and, in a nutshell, the more time William and Kate can spend down under the more secure the monarchy’s future will be.”