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<\/a><\/p>\nBy Alasdair Pal and Lucy Craymer<\/p>\n
SYDNEY\/WELLINGTON (Reuters) – The leaders of Australia and New Zealand will pledge their allegiance to King Charles at his coronation in London on Saturday even though both are life-long republicans who do not shy away from making their positions clear.<\/p>\n
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his New Zealand counterpart, Chris Hipkins, have travelled to London where they are due to meet Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Friday. <\/p>\n
They met the king earlier in the week.<\/p>\n
King Charles is head of state in Australia, New Zealand and 12 other Commonwealth realms outside the United Kingdom, although the role is largely ceremonial.<\/p>\n
The two countries are holding events to celebrate the coronation, from tree-planting to military fly-pasts, though there is expected to be less pageantry than after the death of Queen Elizabeth last year.<\/p>\n
The death of the queen reignited debate in Australia about the need to retain a distant constitutional monarchy.<\/p>\n
Australia held a referendum in 1999 on becoming a republic with 55% of voters opposed. Polls in recent years have shown varying support for a republic, with most showing a small majority of Australians in favour.<\/p>\n
But neither Albanese nor Hipkins are actively campaigning for the British monarch to be replaced as head of state despite their republican convictions.<\/p>\n
“I haven’t changed my position on that and I’ve made that very clear. I want to see an Australian as Australia’s head of state,” Albanese said in an interview with state broadcaster ABC on Friday. <\/p>\n
“That doesn’t mean that you can not have respect for the institution, which is the system of government that we have.”<\/p>\n
Albanese said would take the oath of allegiance to King Charles at the ceremony.<\/p>\n
“People expect me to not come to the king’s coronation in order to create a controversy,” he said. <\/p>\n
Hipkins told a news conference on Monday he was on “record as being a Republican” but that “it’s not something I intend to push”.<\/p>\n
“I don’t regard it as a priority,” he said. “The constitutional arrangements that we have are working quite soundly at the moment.”<\/p>\n
New Zealand’s defence force will fire off two 21-gun salutes on Sunday, while the Australian air force is planning a fly-past over Parliament House in Canberra.<\/p>\n
Various prominent buildings including Auckland\u2019s Harbour Bridge and Skytower and parliament buildings in both capitals will be lit up – but not Sydney’s famous Harbour Bridge and Opera House.<\/p>\n
\n(Reporting by Alasdair Pal in Sydney and Lucy Craymer in Wellington; Editing by Robert Birsel)<\/p>\n
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