SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia has appointed Britain’s King Charles to the honorary ranks of admiral of the navy, field marshal of the army and marshal of the air force, ahead of a fleet review on Sydney Harbour, Australia’s defence chief said on Saturday.
Charles, 75, arrived in Sydney on Friday evening as he makes his inaugural visit to an overseas realm as sovereign, his first major foreign trip since being diagnosed with cancer.
He and Queen Camilla have no official events scheduled for Saturday, and were spotted by local media walking the grounds of the historic harbour foreshore residence Admiralty House.
The royal couple will participate in a navy fleet review on Sydney Harbour next week.
“The Sovereign serves as an example of service, and His Majesty’s appointments are symbolic of the Royal Family’s longstanding dedication and relationship with the nation,” the chief of the Defence Force, Admiral David Johnston, said in a statement.
Australia’s navy has been known as the Royal Australian Navy since 1911, and its vessels carry the title of His Majesty’s Australian Ship.
Other vestiges of Australia’s system of constitutional monarchy, where Britain’s king is the head of state with limited powers, have become less visible in modern Australian society. A royal toast on formal public occasions has been replaced by an acknowledgement of the indigenous Aboriginal owners of the land.
A national referendum on becoming a republic was defeated in 1999. Although Prime Minister Anthony Albanese favours the nation becoming a republic, the issue has dropped off the political agenda of his ruling centre-left Labor Party as public opinion is mixed.
A poll published in News Corp newspapers this week showed support for Australia remaining a constitutional monarchy at 45%, compared to 33% support for becoming a republic and the rest undecided.
During his visit, Charles will meet cancer researcher Richard Scolyer, known for pioneering work on melanoma treatments, who has brain cancer.
“The fact we’re both cancer patients – a lot of people have cancer – but given this is our medical speciality, I hope there’s a special bond between us,” Scolyer said in an interview published by the Sydney Morning Herald on Saturday.
Albanese said he and his partner Jodie Haydon had met Charles and Camilla informally on Friday evening for a drink.
“King Charles is someone who has an affection for Australia. He spoke about the time that he was here at school in Victoria and his regular visits back here,” Albanese told reporters on Saturday.
(Reporting by Kirsty Needham in Sydney; Editing by William Mallard)
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