King Charles has seemingly made a thinly veiled dig at the anti-monarchist group during his speech at the Parliament of New South Wales.
While addressing the parliamentarians, the monarch opened up about the love he has for the country despite the backlash.
The King said, “What a great joy it is to come to Australia for the first time as Sovereign, and to renew a love of this country and its people which I have cherished for so long.”
Notably, King Charles presented a gift, an hourglass, to the parliament and called it a “speech timer,” which left the attendees in fits.
The King appeared unbothered by the ongoing protests by the Australian Republic Movement (ARM), who urged the monarch to step down as head of state. The party workers want their country to become a republic state.
Previously, the co-chairwoman of the ARM, Esther Anatolitis dubbed King Charles’s historic tour as “The Farewell Oz Tour.”
She wrote on X, “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?”
It is important to mention that before he arrived in Australia, King Charles issued a powerful message, stating that he would not interfere if the Australian public chose to replace him as head of state as he has “deep love and affection” for the country.