How Kate’s seen off the Aussie republicans

By
Richard Shears

Last updated at 1:07 AM on 27th December 2011

The royal wedding has helped halt the republican movement in Australia, according to official reports.

British Government papers show that William and Kate’s wedding has ‘boosted enthusiasm for royalty’ in the country.

Foreign Office reports, compiled in September and November, stated: ‘It is clear that the debate about Australia becoming a republic is off the table for the present.’

G'day to you too: William and Kate's wedding was said to have boosted the popularity of the Royal Family in Australia

G’day to you too: William and Kate’s wedding was said to have boosted the popularity of the Royal Family in Australia

Prince William’s solo visit to the country last year was also credited with adding to the popularity of the Royal Family Down Under. 

However, the reports, released under the Freedom of Information Act, did concede that Australia might one day become a republic.

An assessment report added: ‘In the longer term, demographic change is reducing the number of Australians who feel a natural tie to the UK and many Australians feel becoming a republic is a natural part of maturing as a country.’

The Foreign Office assessments of the strength of the republican movement in Australia, revealed yesterday by the Australian Associated Press, were compiled immediately before and after the Queen and Prince Philip’s 11-day visit to the country in October.

The royal couple were greeted by enthusiastic crowds in Canberra, Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth, with seasoned observers saying they hadn’t seen such a positive reception for years.

Queen Elizabeth II is given flowers by school children during a short walkabout, after flying into Canberra Airport, Australia

The Queen is given flowers by schoolchildren during her tour of Australia

David Flint, of the Australians for a Constitutional Monarchy movement, said: ‘There’s a lack of passionate support in the community for a republic.’

But Major General Michael Keating, chairman of the Australian Republican Movement, said: ‘I can assure UK citizens that the desire for Australia becoming a republic is still extremely strong.’

The royal visits had been designed to bolster support for the monarchy, he said, claiming: ‘The Windsor family is in the process of a very well orchestrated attempt to reinvent themselves around the world.’

The Foreign Office conclusions are backed up by opinion polls, which revealed that in the build-up to the wedding in April, support for an Australian republic was at its lowest level since the mid-1990s.

Just 41 per cent of 1,200 people polled were in favour of a republic, with only 25 per cent strongly in favour.

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