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Busting a king-sized myth: why Australia and NZ could become republics – and still stay in the Commonwealth

The imminent coronation of King Charles III is an ideal time for Australia and New Zealand to take stock of the British monarchy and its role in national life – including certain myths about what becoming a republic might mean. In particular, there is a common assumption that both nations must remain monarchies to retain membership of the Commonwealth of Nations. It might sound logical, but it’s entirely wrong. There is no basis for it in the rules of the Commonwealth or the practice of its members. Australia could ditch the monarchy and stay in the club, and New Zealand can too, whether it has a king or a Kiwi as head of state. Yet this peculiar myth persists at home and abroad. Students often ask me about it when I’m teaching the structure of government. And just this week a French TV station interpreted the New Zealand prime minister’s opinion that his country would one day <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/01/new-zealand-will-ideally-become-a-republic-one-day-says-chris-hipkins">ideally become a republic</a> to mean he would <a href="https://www.bfmtv.com/international/oceanie/nouvelle-zelande/nouvelle-zelande-le-nouveau-premier-ministre-souhaite-que-son-pays-quitte-le-commonwealth_AN-202305010328.html">like to see</a> it leave the Commonwealth. <h2>What does ‘Commonwealth’ mean?</h2> The implication that breaking from the Commonwealth would be a precursor to, or consequence of, becoming a republic relies on a faulty premise which joins two entirely separate things: the way we pick our head of state, and our membership of the Commonwealth. It would make just as much sense to ask whether Australia or New Zealand should leave the International Cricket Council and become a republic. The confusion may derive from the fact that the 15 countries that continue to have the British sovereign as their head of state are known as “Commonwealth Realms”. What we usually refer to as the Commonwealth, on the other hand, is the organisation founded in 1926 as the British Commonwealth of Nations. This is the body whose membership determines the competing nations of the <a href="https://www.commonwealthsport.com/">Commonwealth Games</a>, the highest-profile aspect of the Commonwealth’s work. King Charles III is the head of state of the 15 Commonwealth Realms and the head of the international governmental organisation that is the Commonwealth of Nations. The Commonwealth has 56 members – but only 15 of them continue to have the king as head of state. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said Monday he personally favors his country becoming a republic, though it’s not a change he intends to push for as leader. <a href="https://t.co/1XEiFFtqPT">https://t.co/1XEiFFtqPT</a> <a href="https://t.co/aftsZ0hHmV">pic.twitter.com/aftsZ0hHmV</a> — The Diplomat (@Diplomat_APAC) <a href="https://twitter.com/Diplomat_APAC/status/1653406552693395457?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 2, 2023</a></blockquote> <h2>Joining the Commonwealth club</h2> To be fair, confusion over who heads the Commonwealth is nothing new. A <a href="https://www.royalcwsociety.org/_files/ugd/e578ea_5642f282aad345faa0b39c9eebd465e5.pdf">2010 poll</a> conducted by the Royal Commonwealth Society found that, of the respondents in seven countries, only half knew the then queen was the head of the Commonwealth. A quarter of Jamaicans believed the organisation was led by the then US president, Barack Obama. One in ten Indians and South Africans thought it was run by former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan. Given the king’s overlapping leadership roles and the different use of the word in the contexts of Commonwealth Realms and the Commonwealth of Nations, these broad misunderstandings are perhaps understandable. In fact, it was this ambiguity that allowed for the development of an inclusive Commonwealth during the postwar years of decolonisation. However the confusion arose, it is also very simple to correct. The Commonwealth relaxed its membership rules regarding republics when India became one in 1950. According to Philip Murphy, the historian and former director of the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, this decision was based on the erroneous idea that India’s huge standing army would underwrite Britain’s great-power status in the postwar world. From that point on the Commonwealth of Nations no longer comprised only members who admitted to the supremacy of one sovereign. To make the change palatable, a piece of conceptual chicanery was needed. Each country did not need a king, but theking was to be head of the organisation comprising equal members. <h2>Monarchy optional</h2> Since then, the number of Commonwealth members has steadily increased to the 56 we have today. As early as 1995, membership was extended to countries with no ties to the former British Empire. With the support of Nelson Mandela, Mozambique became a member, joining the six Commonwealth members with which it shared a border. Rwanda, a former German and then Belgian colony, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/oukwd-uk-commonwealth-rwanda-idAFTRE5AS1C520091129">joined in 2009</a>. It became an enthusiastic member and hosted the biennial meeting of states known as CHOGM (Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting). The most recent countries to take up Commonwealth membership are the <a href="https://thecommonwealth.org/news/gabon-and-togo-join-commonwealth">former French colonies of Togo and Gabon</a>. According to the <a href="http://www.thecommonwealth.org/shared_asp_files/GFSR.asp?NodeID=174532">Commonwealth’s own rules</a>, membership is based on a variety of things, including commitment to democratic processes, human rights and good governance. Being a monarchy is entirely optional. The new king offers the chance for a broader debate on the advantages of monarchy. But let’s do so knowing Commonwealth membership is entirely unaffected by the question of whether or not the country is a republic. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/busting-a-king-sized-myth-why-australia-and-nz-could-become-republics-and-still-stay-in-the-commonwealth-204750" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.

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What would King Charles mean for the monarchy, Australia and the republican movement?

This week’s Platinum Jubilee marks 70 years of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign over “<a href="https://www.royal.uk/platinum-jubilee-central-weekend" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the people of the United Kingdom, the Realms and the Commonwealth</a>”. This occasion, the first ever for a British monarch, allows us to reflect on the importance of succession. The queen’s royal title and duties will one day be transferred to Prince Charles, the 73-year-old Prince of Wales. Although the timing of this transition remains uncertain, it may prompt many Commonwealth nations such as Australia to reconsider the legacy and legitimacy of the monarchy itself. The precarity of succession Succession has long been the weak link in the system of hereditary monarchy. Sometimes this is because the current ruler produces no surviving heirs, as in the case of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne,_Queen_of_Great_Britain" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Queen Anne</a>, or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_II_of_Spain" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Carlos II</a> of Spain. Alternatively, it may be because others dispute the line of succession, as was seen in the war-provoking disputes over succession in the cases of <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zy7n4j6/revision/2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">William the Conqueror</a> and “<a href="https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources/jacobite-1745/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bonnie Prince Charlie</a>”. Sometimes, succession has not been successful because the new monarch has practised the “wrong” religion, or married the “wrong” sort of woman - as was thought of <a href="https://www.royal.uk/james-vii-and-ii-r1685-1689" target="_blank" rel="noopener">James VII and II</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallis_Simpson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Edward VIII</a>, respectively. Perhaps most memorably the objection to the principle is so violently held, no succession is possible at all. This was true in the cases of <a href="https://www.bl.uk/learning/timeline/item103698.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Charles I</a> of Great Britain, <a href="https://www.bl.uk/learning/timeline/item105119.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Louis XVI</a> of France, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nicholas-II-tsar-of-Russia" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nicholas II</a> of Russia. For such reasons, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/mar/16/what-happens-when-queen-elizabeth-dies-london-bridge" target="_blank" rel="noopener">successions must be carefully managed</a> if monarchs want to ensure the royal line is preserved. Succession and legitimacy Across the Commonwealth, the monarch plays a crucial role in legitimatising systems of government. Historical continuity denotes stability, an attribute that monarchies are supposed to embody. Hence the idea of the “<a href="https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691169231/the-kings-two-bodies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">king’s two bodies</a>”: the physical form of the monarch may perish, but the idea of monarchy continues in the body of the new king or queen. Our current queen holds the title of Queen Elizabeth II to associate her in line of succession with Elizabeth I. However, Queen Elizabeth is not, in fact, the second Elizabeth to reign in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, or <a href="https://www.lawteacher.net/cases/maccormick-v-lord-advocate.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">even Scotland</a>. Instead, this continuity of title serves to imbue the monarchy with a sense of stability independent of party, faction, nation, or ideology. This is not to say the monarchy is “above politics”, as is often claimed. The emphasis on political stability and historical continuity puts it, as an institution, firmly in the conservative camp. Conservatives tend not to write down their rules of operation in one place. One notable exception is Walter Bagehot’s <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/bagehot-the-english-constitution/2E5DFE4840159D204BD5FAC00663C5FF" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The English Constitution</a>. Published in 1867, this influential book distinguishes between the “efficient” and “dignified” parts of the constitution. Bagehot viewed the “efficient” part of the constitution as responsible government, primarily concerned with statecraft, grand strategy, and the day-to-day running of kingdoms. The “dignified” part, in contrast, provided a symbolic focus for the the notions of unity and loyalty across Britain and its Empire – of which the monarchy was a central element. According to Bagehot, having a popular monarch is crucial to upholding the legitimacy of the political system. Public perceptions of the monarchy However, the popularity of a monarch can cut both ways. If a monarch is unpopular, the legitimacy of the system can suffer. This is exemplified by public perceptions of Queen Victoria in the 1870s. Following Prince Albert’s death in 1861, Queen Victoria remained largely absent from public life during an extended period of mourning. Meanwhile, republicanism gained significant political traction in England. Similarly, neither Elizabeth II nor the monarchy were particularly popular in either the UK or Australia during the 1990s. Moreover, the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997 further damaged the monarchy’s public image. Significant political resources were <a href="https://theconversation.com/diana-revived-the-monarchy-and-airing-old-tapes-wont-change-a-thing-81552" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mobilised in the UK</a> to rectify this situation. As a result, the monarchy was <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-41094816" target="_blank" rel="noopener">largely rehabilitated</a> by the time of the Queen’s Golden Jubilee celebrations in 2002. Yet, attitudes towards the monarchy can be equivocal – not least in Australia. Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott, the most open promoter of monarchy among Australia’s recent prime ministers, came under intense criticism for his decision to <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-34409397" target="_blank" rel="noopener">appoint Prince Philip</a> a Knight of Australia in 2015. And the ABC <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2021/apr/12/abc-says-75-of-complaints-about-prince-philip-coverage-related-to-interruption-of-tv-drama-vera" target="_blank" rel="noopener">received complaints</a> after the announcement of Prince Philip’s death interrupted an episode of TV drama <a href="https://iview.abc.net.au/show/vera" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vera</a>, indicating ambivalent attitudes towards the monarchy as an institution. Yet republicanism in Australia currently remains muted. This is in part because, as per the script-writing in the Netflix drama <a href="https://www.netflix.com/au/title/80025678" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Crown</a>, the nonagenarian Queen can do no wrong. The same cannot be said for the rest of the family. Prince Andrew’s court case in the US, the internal feuding concerning the Duke and Duchess of Sussex (Harry and Meghan), and even William and Kate’s <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/mar/25/william-and-kate-caribbean-tour-slavery-reparations-royals" target="_blank" rel="noopener">problematic reception</a> during their tour of the Caribbean have harmed public perceptions of the monarchy across the Commonwealth. Royals or republic? In Australia, proponents of republicanism assert Prince Charles’ future ascension to the throne could signify a critical juncture in the realisation of an <a href="https://republic.org.au/media/tag/Prince+Charles" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Australian republic</a>. Such “constitutional wrangling” may be overshadowed by more pressing matters – pestilence and war being two current examples. Nevertheless, the imminent transition from Elizabeth II to Charles III across the Commonwealth entails certain risks. <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/barbados-becomes-a-republic-after-bidding-farewell-to-british-monarchy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Barbados became a republic</a> last year. Perhaps it may be time for Australia to reconsider the place of the monarchy in our own political system.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/182662/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ben-wellings-4217" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ben Wellings</a>, Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Monash University</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-would-king-charles-mean-for-the-monarchy-australia-and-the-republican-movement-182662" target="_blank" rel="noopener">original article</a>. Image: Getty Images

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Prince Charles nods off during separation ceremony

Prince Charles has been spotted appearing to doze off during an historic ceremony in Barbados. The 73-year-old Prince of Wales was caught on camera closing his eyes as his head slowly fell forward, before he jolted back up as cameras flashed in front of him. The ceremony marked Barbados becoming a republic, ending four centuries with the British monarch as the head of state. Prince Charles attended the historic Presidential Inauguration Ceremony in Bridgetown, and was joined by former cricketer Garfield Sobers, new president Sandra Mason and singer Rihanna. During the ceremony, the heir to the throne acknowledged the "appalling atrocity of slavery", as he described it as something "which forever stains our history". Charles summed up the period when the UK was one of the leading players in the transatlantic slave trade as the "darkest days of our past", but looking to the future said the "creation of this republic offers a new beginning". In a message to the new president and people of Barbados, the Queen sent the new republic her "warmest good wishes for your happiness, peace and prosperity in the future" and commended the nation which has a "special place" in her heart for "its vibrant culture, its sporting prowess, and its natural beauty". Prince Charles watched on as the presidential flag was raised in place of the Queen's at midnight local time, on the 55th anniversary of independence from Britain. Despite nodding off due to the change in time zone, Prince Charles said he was honoured to be attending the ceremony, and said he will "always consider myself a friend of Barbados." "Tonight you write the next chapter of your nation's story, adding to the treasury of past achievement, collective enterprise and personal courage which already fill its pages." "Yours is a story in which every Barbadian, young and old, can take the greatest pride - inspired by what has come before them and confident about what lies ahead." Image credits: Getty Images

Travel Trouble

Wild Republic: The new drama thriller set in the Alps

Dubbed the “Lord of the Flies for a new generation”, Wild Republic is the latest series to take inspiration from the classic novel. The German television series starts with a bunch of juvenile delinquents who are undergoing an experiential rehabilitation program in the rugged German Alps. <img style="width: 500px; height:250px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7843508/luis_zeno_kuhn-fotografie-munchen-03363.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/2e998bf45e6343b482cc559525562674" /> Image: SBS Following the sudden death of one member, the troubled youths face a tough choice: wait for the authorities to investigate the crime or take fate into their own hands and make an escape? <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tO0LVkF-Vuk" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> Directed by Markus Goller and Lennart Ruff, the eight-part series tackles issues about how to survive, what choices are made, and at what cost. <img style="width: 500px; height:238.57142857142858px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7843509/wild_republic.jpeg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/584d5f7e05394894bbb871d15f9e9387" /> Image: SBS The series is now exclusively streaming in German with English subtitles at <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/program/wild-republic" target="_blank">SBS On Demand</a>. Image: SBS

Premiers and chief ministers ban together and call for Australia to become a republic

State and territory leaders have signed a joint declaration calling for an Australian head of state, in a move that has been hatched by the Australian Republican Movement. WA Premier Colin Barnett is the only state leader who hasn’t lent his name to the statement, which reads, “We, the undersigned premiers and chief ministers of Australia, believe that Australians should have an Australian as our head of state.” Australian Republican Movement chair Peter FitzSimons contends this is a clear declaration of desired independence from the Commonwealth, by almost all state and territory leaders. "It is time to get moving, and I must say I was thrilled by how enthusiastic the premiers were," FitzSimons said. All of Australia's political leaders now support an Australian head of state, including [Prime Minister] Malcolm Turnbull and [Opposition Leader] Bill Shorten. Never before have the stars of the Southern Cross been so aligned in pointing to the dawn of a new republican age for Australia." The declaration is expected to reignite debate of an Australian republic. Related links: <a href="/news/news/2016/01/rouge-wave-at-sydney-figure-eight-pools/">Massive wave highlights just how dangerous Sydney’s Figure Eight Pools can be</a> <a href="/news/news/2016/01/10-captivating-photos-animal-eyes/">10 captivating photos observing different animal’s eyes in extreme close up</a> <a href="/news/news/2016/01/81-year-old-gran-childhood-town-knock-and-run/">81-year-old gran returns to childhood town for one last game of knock and run</a>

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