The sails of the Sydney Opera House will be lit up for the arrival of King Charles and Queen Camilla in Australia amid a row over politicians refusing to meet them.
The plans to illuminate the landmark also come despite the New South Wales (NSW) government having axed a similar proposal for the Coronation due to cost.
The King and Queen are preparing to tour Sydney and Canberra, with the landmark now set to be lit up this Friday at 8pm with pictures of previous royal visits to Sydney.
But it comes almost 18 months after NSW Premier Chris Minns dumped plans set by the former coalition state government to light up the venue for the Coronation.
And all six of Australia’s state premiers, including Mr Minns, have shunned the King’s historic visit by saying they would not join a welcome reception in Canberra.
Mr Minns said at the time of the Coronation at Westminster Abbey in May 2023 that the cost of £40,000 to £50,000 per night to light up the Opera House was too much for Australian taxpayers to bear.
But Mr Minns said yesterday that it was important the King was warmly welcomed during his visit to Sydney.
He added that the ‘primary objective’ in lighting up the Opera House would be to focus on events taking place in the state capital.
Mr Minns told the Australian Daily Telegraph: ‘I’ve made the point previously in relation to the Opera House, when it comes to events that are taking place in Sydney that will be our primary objective.
‘The King is coming to Sydney and we obviously want to make sure he is warmly welcomed and that is what we’re going to do.’
Earlier in the week, the premier said he had not changed his view that Australia should become a republic but that would not stop the red carpet being rolled out for the King during his first visit as monarch.
The Opera House sails were illuminated for 23 days in 2012 but that ballooned to more than 70 days in 2022, costing taxpayers up to £3.5million annually.
Requests to the government were still increasing and included ‘trivial matters’, the premier said previously.
At the time of the Coronation, Mr Minns explained his decision not to illuminate the Opera House by saying: ‘Of course I respect the new king but I’m mindful of where and when we spend taxpayers’ money.
‘I’d like to keep it for Australia and Australians, and for moments of sacrifice and heroism for the country – or when there’s an important international event in Sydney.’
Pro-monarchist groups blasted the move as ‘insulting’ at the time.
Since coming to office, the NSW Labor group has rejected a number of requests to light up the Opera House from various organisations and for religious events.
Friday’s display will include a four-minute looping montage of images from previous royal visits.
It comes amid a row after republicans branded the King’s historic first visit to Australia as its head of state as the ‘The Farewell Oz Tour’.
Charles and the Queen are getting ready to head Down Under for the high profile six-day trip as debate reignites over the monarchy’s future in the country.
The Australian Republican Movement (ARM) is describing the couple’s overseas tour as the ‘chance to wave goodbye to royal reign’.
It comes as Australia’s six state premiers are said to be missing a reception for the King and Queen in Canberra on Monday.
The Daily Mirror reported Victoria’s Jacinta Allan, South Australian premier Peter Malinauskas and Mr Minns have cabinet meetings to attend, Queensland premier Steven Miles is busy working on his election campaign, Tasmanian premier Jeremy Rockliff is on a US trade mission and Western Australia’s premier Roger Cook has other commitments.
Commentator Phil Dampier called the politicians ‘rude and disrespectful’, and royal biographer Tom Bower said that Charles’s visit will be a great success and the majority of Australians are behind him.
He added: ‘The republicans do their cause no good by seeking to embarrass a sick man who is doing his duty by travelling across the world at the request of the Australian government.
‘They expose themselves as petty and, worse, inhumane in not acknowledging the King’s personal sacrifice to do his duty.’
The ARM has called on supporters to sign a farewell card for Charles and Camilla and said it is time to reset the conversation about the future of the monarchy.
Its campaign features a rock-style logo showing Charles, Camilla and the Prince of Wales wearing aviator sunglasses and waving, beneath the words ‘Monarchy – The Farewell Oz Tour’.
Esther Anatolitis, co-chairwoman of the ARM, said while wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the logo in a video posted on X, formerly Twitter: ‘Welcome to Monarchy The Farewell Oz Tour.
‘It’s time to wave goodbye to royal reign. This week’s visit is a valuable opportunity for us to ask that question we’ve been asking for many years, why does Australia still have a King?
‘Does it make sense that our head of state inherits the role by birthright and isn’t here for Australians full time?
‘By all means, let’s welcome Charles and Camilla to Australia, but let’s see this as the last visit of a sitting monarch. Makes a lot of sense.’
The ARM suggests that 40 per cent of Australians do not realise Charles is Australia’s head of state.
A new poll, however, has found only a third (33 per cent) of Australians believe the country should become a republic, compared with 45 per cent in favour of it remaining a monarchy, reported by the Australian Daily Telegraph.
Philip Benwell, chairman of Australian Monarchist League, said: ‘The overwhelming sentiment reflected in this poll challenges the Australian Republican Movement’s narrative.’
He added: ‘Using words like ‘the last tour of a king and queen of Australia’ is not only wrong, it is terribly disrespectful to Charles, particularly given his ongoing cancer battle.
‘Whereas most people would shy away from such a lengthy and arduous tour, Charles, King of Australia, has stopped his cancer treatment to undertake this tour of Australia and to go out and meet the Australian people.
‘He should be applauded for his bravery, not insulted by these Australian and British republicans.’
The King, 75, is pausing his cancer treatment during the long-haul trip, which will also see him travel to Samoa afterwards on October 23 for a state visit and the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).
It will be the first trip to Australia by a reigning monarch since 2011, when Queen Elizabeth II visited Brisbane, Melbourne, Canberra and Perth.
King Charles visited Australia 16 times before taking the throne in 2022 after the death of his mother.
Australia’s prime minister Anthony Albanese has a long-held aim of holding a referendum on breaking ties with the British monarchy and his country becoming a republic.
The plans were put on hold after Australians overwhelmingly rejected a plan to give greater political rights to Indigenous people in a referendum held last year.
A referendum was held in 1999 on proposals to become a republic and replace Queen Elizabeth II with a president.
But the idea was rejected, with almost 55 per cent of the Australian population voting No.