King Charles and Queen Camilla confronted by angry protester as Royal Family accused of 'genocide'

Lidia Thorpe, an Aboriginal Australian independent senator, has accused the British monarchy of 'genocide' as she confronted King Charles and Queen Camilla

King Charles and Queen Camilla were met with a barrage of accusations during their Royal tour in Australia, as an Aboriginal Australian senator accused the monarch of "committing genocide". Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe made headlines with her verbal onslaught as she confronted the British royals at the country's parliament.

As a bewildered Charles and Camilla took to the stage, Senator Thorpe disrupted proceedings by shouting: "You are not my King". She continued her tirade, despite attempts by Royal protection officers to escort her out, stating: "You committed genocide against our people. Give us our land back, give us back what you stole from us. Our bones, our skulls, our babies, our people."

As she was led away, Ms Thorpe passionately declared: "You destroyed our lands, give us a treaty, we want a treaty in the country, you are a genocidalist. This is not your land, this is not your land, you are not my King, you are not our King."

Further cries of "not my King" and "f*** the colony" were heard from her. The Royal couple, however, remained unresponsive to the scene, diverting their attention to an orchestra playing music, reports Birmingham Live.

This incident follows Ms Thorpe's controversial statement a month before Queen Elizabeth II's passing in 2022, where she referred to the late monarch as a 'coloniser' during her parliamentary swearing-in.

She was compelled to repeat her oath of allegiance amidst heckling from her peers who claimed: "You're not a senator if you don't do it properly."

After dusting herself from the Green Party last year citing their inadequate attention to indigenous rights, the now independent MP lambasted the swearing-in procedure, labelling it as "archaic and ridiculous". Across the globe, King Charles, in his first Royal tour post-cancer diagnosis, showed reverence for Australia's aboriginal traditions by participating in a "smoking ceremony" in Canberra.

This practice is designed to ward off evil spirits and pay respects to the land and forebears. Although the late Queen Elizabeth II had observed such ceremonies, this occasion marked the first time an incumbent monarch has taken an active part in it.

In pursuit of cultural immersion, tomorrow he’s set to tour the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence in Sydney. Simultaneously, Royal acknowledgments were extended to two distinguished Australian vets during a memorial in Canberra.

Post laying floral homages to fallen Aussie Defence Force personnel, Charles and Camilla proceeded to the Australian War Memorial's roll of honour. Here, a heart-rending tradition sees relatives pin poppies beside names of their deceased kin on the vast walls within the memorial’s galleries.

The King paid his respects by placing a poppy next to the name of Private William Punch, an Aboriginal Australian who was assigned manual labour at the front and tragically died in 1917 after being shot. The Queen, on the other hand, left her flower next to the name of former Mayor of Auburn, Private William James Johnson, who was 44 when he enlisted and was fatally shot at the battle of Pozières.

Inside the Hall of Memory at the memorial, Charles honoured the fallen by laying a wreath at the foot of the Tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier, with Camilla placing a floral posy alongside it. As The Last Post echoed through the hall, the royals bowed their heads for a minute's silence, broken only by the sound of Reveille.

Since its establishment in 1941, nearly every Royal visit to Australia has included a formal wreath-laying ceremony at the war memorial, built to commemorate the service and sacrifice of Australian Defence Force Veterans. In a separate ceremony, the King and Queen also acknowledged the sacrifices of Indigenous Veterans at the new For our Country – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Memorial for the first time.

After leaving the hall, the King and Queen made their way to the Commemorative Courtyard to sign the visitors' book. The memorial, being Australia's most visited cultural institution, attracts millions of visitors each year who come to pay tribute to the service of defence force personnel.

King Charles, accompanied by Camilla, received a rather unexpected surprise during their visit to the Australian War Memorial when an alpaca named Hephner sneezed on him. The nine year old animal, decked out with a crown and suit complemented by a golden bow tie, missed his introduction cue and the sudden sneeze caused laughter among the crowd.

Thousands had gathered to greet the Royal couple, with enthusiastic well-wishers waving flags and banners. Among the attendees was Robert Fletcher from Goulburn, New South Wales, who had brought along Hephner – named after his mother, Playgirl.

Robert uses his alpaca in support of charities and nursing homes and shared excitement for the occasion: "My wife found the crown and thought it was fitting. I think he loves his crown very much. He has lots of outfits but it's a special day so he is in a suit and bow tie as well. Hephner has met a few famous people before but this is the King. He wants to meet the King."

Ensuring the King that Hephner was safe, Robert added, "He doesn't bite and he doesn't spit. He's always on his best behaviour anyway. And he is a pro-monarchy alpaca."

However, despite Robert's reassurances, the moment King Charles went to pat Hephner, the well-adorned alpaca loudly sneezed on the monarch.

Robert recalled the amusing incident, stating: "I got to shake his hand and then Hephner sneezed. The King just looked in disbelief. But it's just who Hephner is. He is an alpaca after all". The Royal couple received a warm welcome with enthusiastic cheers as they made their way 200 metres from the Australian War Memorial Council Member and Australian Army Veteran, 'Aunty' Lorraine Hatton.

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