what years did queen elizabeth visit sydney australia

Six decades of royal visits: Queen Elizabeth II in Australia – in pictures

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The Queen first visited Australia in 1954 – when she became the first reigning monarch to set foot on Australian soil – and the last in 2011. The visits included motorcades, tram rides, two Commonwealth Games and plenty of horse racing

• This article was amended on 14 September 2022 to correct the locations in two captions

Fri 9 Sep 2022 01.33 BST First published on Fri 9 Sep 2022 01.31 BST

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16 visits over 57 years: reflecting on Queen Elizabeth II’s long relationship with Australia

Associate Professor of English, Flinders University

Disclosure statement

Giselle Bastin does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Flinders University provides funding as a member of The Conversation AU.

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“Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God Queen of Australia and Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth” has died. Given her advanced years, this has long been expected, yet it still seems incredible this woman who has been Australia’s queen for the duration of most Australians’ lives is no longer with us.

While the focus of the formalities and ceremony of the passing of Queen Elizabeth II will centre on London and the UK, there is no doubt it will be keenly observed by many Australians.

The queen liked Australia and Australians. She came here 16 times throughout her reign and was, famously, on her way to our shores in 1952 when she learned her father had passed on and she was now queen.

Her visits to Australia – from her first in 1954 through to her last in 2011 – offer a snapshot of the changing relationship Australians have had with their sovereign and with the monarchy.

An enthusiastic nation

The queen’s 1954 tour took place during a time described by historian Ben Pimlott as the age of “ British Shintoism ”. Deference to the Crown was paramount in Britain and the Commonwealth, and many Australians were madly enthusiastic about their queen.

After her arrival at Farm Cove in Sydney on February 3 1954, Elizabeth II became the first British monarch to set foot on Australian soil. The royal tour lasted nearly two months and consisted of a gruelling schedule taking in visits to every state and territory apart from the Northern Territory.

During the tour, the queen greeted over 70,000 ex-service men and women; drove in cavalcades that took in massive crowds; attended numerous civic receptions; and opened the Australian Parliament in Canberra. The tour saw Elizabeth travel 10,000 miles by air and 2,000 miles by road – including 207 trips by car and by appointed royal trains.

It is estimated as much as 75% of the population saw the queen and Prince Philip during this tour.

No Australian prime minister has ever had a reception on this scale or exposure to so many of the country’s citizens.

A “new” and prosperous country

During her first two tours in 1954 and 1963, the Australia laid-out for display for the queen was depicted as having gone from being a small colonial settlement to a thriving economy that had ridden to prosperity “ on the sheep’s back ”.

The queen was treated to endless displays of sheep shearing, surf carnivals, wood chopping, whip cracking, and mass displays of dancing and singing by school children. Federal and state dignitaries, mayors and civic leaders from across the political divide jostled to meet and be seen with her; the country’s florists were emptied of flowers for the hundreds of bouquets presented to her by dozens of shy, nervous school children nudged gently forward by awe-struck parents.

During the early tours, Aboriginal Australians were kept at a discreet distance. Apart from a demonstration of boomerang and spear throwing, the closest the queen came to experiencing anything of Indigenous Australian culture was a ballet performed by the Arts Council Ballet titled Corroboree, with no Aboriginal dancers but dancers with blackened faces.

During the 1970 visit, the queen witnessed the re-enactment of Captain James Cook’s arrival at Botany Bay, with Cook and his crew meeting “the resistance of the Aborigines with a volley of musket fire”.

By 1973, Indigenous Australians were given a more significant role in the royal tours. Aboriginal actor Ben Blakeney, one of Bennelong’s descendants, gave the official welcome during the opening of the Sydney Opera House, and the then unknown actor David Gulpilil was among those performing a ceremonial dance.

Invited guest, not ruler of the land

As early as the 1963 tour, the nation-wide royal fervour had dimmed a little. The 1963 visit witnessed smaller crowds and fewer mass public events. When Prime Minister Robert Menzies courted the queen with the now-famous line, “I did but see her passing by, and yet I love her till I die”, the ensuing blushes – including the queen’s own – reflected many Australians’ growing sense of embarrassment at public displays and unquestioning expressions of deference.

Despite this, Menzies’ displays of public ardour saw him being granted The Order of the Thistle shortly after, a bestowal which must surely remain the envy of some subsequent prime ministers.

The 1977 Silver Jubilee and 1988 Australian bicentenary visits perhaps marked the end of a period of royal tours as overt celebrations of Australia’s ties to Britain. This new flavour of tours positioned the sovereign as an invited guest to an independent, modern and multi-cultural nation.

On her 10th tour in 1986, the queen returned to sign the Australia Act , which brought to an end the ability of the UK to create laws for Australia.

Her role as our sovereign subtly transformed from cutting ribbons and opening Parliament to signing the documents that slowly, by degrees, contributed to the cutting of Australia’s ties to the UK and the Crown.

A question of the republic

By the 12th tour in 1992, the cost of the queen’s visits to Australia were increasingly scrutinised by a public feeling largely indifferent about the royal family. The prime minister of the day, Paul Keating, was seen not so much as an entranced liege lord revelling in the opportunity to see his sovereign “passing by” as one who instead – unthinkingly – committed an act of lèse majesté by placing his bare hand on the royal back and waist as he guided her through the crowd.

The gloves, it seemed, were coming off.

The queen made it clear in her last visits to our shores that whether or not Australia should become a republic was a decision for its own citizens to make. Her official announcement after she learned of the result of the 1999 Republic Referendum confirmed this:

I have always made it clear that the future of the Monarchy in Australia is an issue for the Australian people and them alone to decide, by democratic and constitutional means. … My family and I would, of course, have retained our deep affection for Australia and Australians everywhere, whatever the outcome.

In the last decades of her life, the queen retained the affection of many. Her popularity seemed to grow in line with Australians’ increased disenchantment with their home-grown political leaders: the former prime ministers Malcolm Turnbull and Julia Gillard are right to have sensed that any discussion about an Australian republic would have to wait until after Elizabeth II’s death.

Queen Elizabeth II reigned across seven decades and her tours to Australia served as a marker of Australia’s changing relationship with the Crown as well as with its own colonial past and national identity.

Almost certainly, Elizabeth II’s reign as the stalwart, loyal, dutiful, and most cherished and admired of “Glorianas” is one we are unlikely ever to see again.

Correction: the article previously stated the queen was on her way to Australia in 1953 when she learned of her father’s death. This has been corrected to 1952.

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In pictures: A look back at Queen Elizabeth II's visits to Australia during her 70-year reign - as nation mourns her death

Queen Elizabeth II visited Australia 16 times during her long reign, including to open the Sydney Opera House in 1973, Parliament House in 1988 and the Melbourne Commonwealth Games in 2006.  

Queen Elizabeth II's "deep affection" for Australia is being remembered as the nation mourns her death aged 96.

Her Majesty died "peacefully" at her Balmoral home in Scotland on Thursday afternoon (local time) surrounded by close family members. 

She was the first reigning sovereign to visit Australia, making a total of 16 trips Down Under during her 70-year reign, the longest in British history.

The Queen's visits included opening the Sydney Opera House in 1973, Darling Harbour in 1988 and the Melbourne Commonwealth Games in 2006.  

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She first visited in 1954, two years after ascending to the throne following the death of her father King George VI, and made her last visit in 2011.

More than seven million Australians, or 70 per cent of the country's population at the time, turned out to catch a glimpse of the young Queen during her first visit. 

"From her famous first trip to Australia, the only reigning sovereign to ever visit, it was clear Her Majesty held a special place in her heart for Australia," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.

"Fifteen more tour before cheering crowds in every part of our country confirmed the special place she held in ours."

On a visit in 1988, the Queen opened the new Parliament House in Canberra, with the parliament's website on Friday stating: "She had a deep affection for Australia and its people, visiting on many occasions to perform official functions".  

"The Parliament of Australia sends its deepest condolences to her family and will commemorate her life in coming days."

Her majesty's 12 visits to New South Wales featured trips to country towns including Tamworth and Wagga Wagga. 

"As the first reigning monarch to visit our nation, Queen Elizabeth set foot for the first time on Australian soil in 1954 at Farm Cove in Sydney Harbour where an unprecedented crowd of more than one million people greeted her," NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said. 

"The public's overwhelming jubilation and enthusiasm at seeing the young monarch was the beginning of the state's long-held joy in her frequent visits.

"Her Late Majesty will forever be connected to pivotal moments in our State's history. She officially opened the Parliament of New South Wales in 1954, Sydney Opera House in 1973, Parramatta Stadium in 1986, and Darling Harbour in 1988.

"She also visited NSW regional areas including Newcastle, Lismore, Orange, Dubbo, Armidale, Tamworth and Wagga Wagga, drawing huge crowds of well-wishers."

The Queen visited Victoria 11 times, with Premier Daniel Andrews saying "during those trips, she left her mark on the state we know today".

"She talked with patients and families at the Royal Children's – and opened our Commonwealth Games," Mr Andrews said. 

"She rode a tram around the Hoddle grid, watched Richmond win at the MCG, and caught a show at the Princess Theatre.

"She travelled across the state – visiting Tatura, Echuca, Rochester, Castlemaine, Maryborough, Ballarat and Geelong - touching so much of what makes Victoria special.

"Her historic reign and long life has come to an end, but Victorians’ deep affection and respect for Her Majesty lives on."

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk noted Her Majesty visited the state "often and displayed her care and concern for the people of this state, especially during times of natural disasters".

Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan said the Queen will forever be an inspiration to the state's residents. 

"Most Western Australians have never known another monarch, with Queen Elizabeth II becoming the longest reigning British monarch," Mr McGowan said. 

"She led the Commonwealth through some of the darkest days and will forever be an inspiration to the world and Western Australia, a State she visited seven times."

South Australia Premier Peter Malinauskas said: "Her Majesty's great fondness and interest in the welfare of South Australians was evident through her seven visits to our state during her reign". 

"Her Majesty's first visit to South Australia was with the late Duke of Edinburgh in March 1954," Mr Malinauskas said.  

"Some 200,000 people lined the route from the Parafield Airport, where they were met by the Premier, Tom Playford at Government House. Her last visit to South Australia was in February 2002."

Commonwealth countries will observe 10 days of mourning and remembrance in the period between the Queen's death and her funeral. However, in Australia there will not be a limit placed on mourning of the Queen.

The Prime Minister will declare a day of National Memorial Service and a National Day of mourning as he suspended parliament for at least a fortnight.

Mr Albanese and the Governor-General will travel to London in the coming days to meet with King Charles III, as they offer condolences on behalf of Australia.

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Home News Reflecting on Queen Elizabeth II’s long relationship with Australia

Reflecting on Queen Elizabeth II’s long relationship with Australia

While the focus of the formalities and ceremony of the passing of Queen Elizabeth II will centre on London and the UK, there is no doubt it will be keenly observed by many Australians.

The queen liked Australia and Australians. She came here 16 times throughout her reign and was, famously, on her way to our shores in 1953 when she learned her father had passed on and she was now queen.

Her visits to Australia – from her first in 1954 through to her last in 2011 – offer a snapshot of the changing relationship Australians have had with their sovereign and with the monarchy.

An enthusiastic nation

The queen’s 1954 tour took place during a time described by historian Ben Pimlott as the age of “ British Shintoism ”. Deference to the Crown was paramount in Britain and the Commonwealth, and many Australians were madly enthusiastic about their queen.

After her arrival at Farm Cove in Sydney on February 3 1954, Elizabeth II became the first British monarch to set foot on Australian soil. The royal tour lasted nearly two months and consisted of a gruelling schedule taking in visits to every state and territory apart from the Northern Territory.

During the tour, the queen greeted over 70,000 ex-service men and women; drove in cavalcades that took in massive crowds; attended numerous civic receptions; and opened the Australian Parliament in Canberra. The tour saw Elizabeth travel 10,000 miles by air and 2,000 miles by road – including 207 trips by car and by appointed royal trains.

It is estimated as much as 75% of the population saw the queen and Prince Philip during this tour.

No Australian prime minister has ever had a reception on this scale or exposure to so many of the country’s citizens.

A “new” and prosperous country

During her first two tours in 1954 and 1963, the Australia laid-out for display for the queen was depicted as having gone from being a small colonial settlement to a thriving economy that had ridden to prosperity “ on the sheep’s back ”.

The queen was treated to endless displays of sheep shearing, surf carnivals, wood chopping, whip cracking, and mass displays of dancing and singing by school children. Federal and state dignitaries, mayors and civic leaders from across the political divide jostled to meet and be seen with her; the country’s florists were emptied of flowers for the hundreds of bouquets presented to her by dozens of shy, nervous school children nudged gently forward by awe-struck parents.

During the early tours, Aboriginal Australians were kept at a discreet distance. Apart from a demonstration of boomerang and spear throwing, the closest the queen came to experiencing anything of Indigenous Australian culture was a ballet performed by the Arts Council Ballet titled Corroboree, with no Aboriginal dancers but dancers with blackened faces.

During the 1970 visit, the queen witnessed the re-enactment of Captain James Cook’s arrival at Botany Bay, with Cook and his crew meeting “the resistance of the Aborigines with a volley of musket fire”.

By 1973, Indigenous Australians were given a more significant role in the royal tours. Aboriginal actor Ben Blakeney, one of Bennelong’s descendants, gave the official welcome during the opening of the Sydney Opera House, and the then unknown actor David Gulpilil was among those performing a ceremonial dance.

Invited guest, not ruler of the land

As early as the 1963 tour, the nation-wide royal fervour had dimmed a little. The 1963 visit witnessed smaller crowds and fewer mass public events. When Prime Minister Robert Menzies courted the queen with the now-famous line, “I did but see her passing by, and yet I love her till I die”, the ensuing blushes – including the queen’s own – reflected many Australians’ growing sense of embarrassment at public displays and unquestioning expressions of deference.

Despite this, Menzies’ displays of public ardour saw him being granted The Order of the Thistle shortly after, a bestowal which must surely remain the envy of some subsequent prime ministers.

The 1977 Silver Jubilee and 1988 Australian bicentenary visits perhaps marked the end of a period of royal tours as overt celebrations of Australia’s ties to Britain. This new flavour of tours positioned the sovereign as an invited guest to an independent, modern and multi-cultural nation.

On her 10th tour in 1986, the queen returned to sign the Australia Act , which brought to an end the ability of the UK to create laws for Australia.

Her role as our sovereign subtly transformed from cutting ribbons and opening Parliament to signing the documents that slowly, by degrees, contributed to the cutting of Australia’s ties to the UK and the Crown.

A question of the republic

By the 12th tour in 1992, the cost of the queen’s visits to Australia were increasingly scrutinised by a public feeling largely indifferent about the royal family. The prime minister of the day, Paul Keating, was seen not so much as an entranced liege lord revelling in the opportunity to see his sovereign “passing by” as one who instead – unthinkingly – committed an act of lèse majesté by placing his bare hand on the royal back and waist as he guided her through the crowd.

The gloves, it seemed, were coming off.

The queen made it clear in her last visits to our shores that whether or not Australia should become a republic was a decision for its own citizens to make. Her official announcement after she learned of the result of the 1999 Republic Referendum confirmed this:

I have always made it clear that the future of the Monarchy in Australia is an issue for the Australian people and them alone to decide, by democratic and constitutional means. … My family and I would, of course, have retained our deep affection for Australia and Australians everywhere, whatever the outcome.

In the last decades of her life, the queen retained the affection of many. Her popularity seemed to grow in line with Australians’ increased disenchantment with their home-grown political leaders: the former prime ministers Malcolm Turnbull and Julia Gillard are right to have sensed that any discussion about an Australian republic would have to wait until after Elizabeth II’s death.

Queen Elizabeth II reigned across seven decades and her tours to Australia served as a marker of Australia’s changing relationship with the Crown as well as with its own colonial past and national identity.

Almost certainly, Elizabeth II’s reign as the stalwart, loyal, dutiful, and most cherished and admired of “Glorianas” is one we are unlikely ever to see again.

This article is republished from The Co nversation under a Creative Commons license.

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In the year following her succession to the throne, Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip embarked on a 6-month grand tour of the Commonwealth. During their 58 days in Australia, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh visited 57 cities and towns across all states and territories, except for the Northern Territory. The royal couple arrived on the Royal Yacht Britannia, stopping briefly in Fremantle, before sailing on to Sydney where the Queen set foot on Australian soil for the first time on 3 February 1954. It might have been Malcolm Turnbull's birth year but the notion of a republic in 1954 was anathema to most Australians. The Royal Tour was the biggest single event ever organised in Australia. An estimated 75% of the population turned out to catch a glimpse of their beloved Queen. In Sydney, more than a million people lined the streets and the harbour to welcome Her Majesty and the Sydney Morning Herald described their welcome as 'tumultuous'.

For listeners who couldn't be there, the ABC radio broadcast team provided a blow-by-blow description of the arrival in Sydney of Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh by royal barge. Once the official ceremony was over, the royal entourage travelled through the streets of Sydney. Along one of these byways, reporter Keith Smith captured the spontaneous impression made by the Queen on Australian spectators. Listen out for the unnamed woman towards the end of the clip whose accent and awe for the Queen are absolutely of the time.

Image Source: Queen Elizabeth and Price Phillip on Tour (1954) ABC Archives

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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that the National Archives' website and collection contain the names, images and voices of people who have died.

Some records include terms and views that are not appropriate today. They reflect the period in which they were created and are not the views of the National Archives.

The 1954 royal tour

A royal visitor.

On 3 February 1954, the steamship Gothic arrived in Sydney Harbour, carrying the first reigning monarch to visit Australia – Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip. In just under 2 months, the royal couple would travel around Australia by train, car, and plane. They would visit almost every capital city except Darwin, and 40 country towns. Among the revellers, children turned up en masse to view the royal couple, and some even participated in official events. 

A tremendous task

In Sydney, an estimated 120,000 children and their teachers gathered in Centennial Park, the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) and the Sydney Showgrounds. The Herald reported transporting the students took 80 trains, 209 trams and 214 busses. At the SCG, students were organised into concentric circles so that the royal couple’s Land Rover could pass within 24 feet (7.3 metres) of most of the children. The children were issued coloured streamers attached to short sticks called ‘wavers,’ which came to life at 11:40 am when the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh entered the cricket grounds. An enthusiastic roar accompanied the rush of excitement. 

Similar gatherings took place in other large cities. For example, a children’s pageant was held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The pageant included children from 6 to 18 years of age, marching, performing callisthenics, and maypole dancing while wearing colourful costumes. As the grand finale, the children formed the word ‘WELCOME’, and the Queen and Duke boarded a Land Rover so that they could drive among the performers. At this point, some exuberant children broke free of their ranks, swamping the royal car and briefly stalling its progress. Finally, the amused Duke ordered them to clear the way.

'OUR QUEEN'

The formation of words by children in tableaux performances occurred across Australia. In Brisbane and outside of Parliament House, they formed the phrase ‘OUR QUEEN.’ At the Wayville Showgrounds in Adelaide, they formed the word ‘LOYALTY’ and at Manuka Oval in Canberra, ‘WELCOME.’  Throngs of people, keen to catch a glimpse of the nation’s sovereign, greeted the royal couple everywhere they travelled. Their journey and activities were meticulously recorded and compiled by film director Colin Dean and his team. The footage formed the first colour full-length feature film made in Australia. Included is a section devoted to the children’s contribution to the celebrations, capturing the young audience's enthusiasm. 

The Queen in Australia (feature film)

The aftermath

While the effort to put on these displays was enormous, time spent with the children was extremely short. Although the royal couple were only in Canberra for 4 full days, the Queen's schedule was unrelenting. It included opening Parliament, unveiling the Australian-American Memorial, opening Union House at the Australian National University, and laying a wreath and planting a tree at the Australian War Memorial. They also attended Manuka Oval for the children’s welcome, only to depart 30 minutes later. 

Records held by the National Archives include detailed communications, maps, and diagrams used in the organisation of royal events. The day was likely exhausting for the young participants, with many students arriving at the events hours before they were due to commence. A photo from our collection shows exhausted muddy revellers, slightly dishevelled yet still clutching and waving their commemorative flags.   

More stories from the archives

Seventy not out

In 2022, Queen Elizabeth II marks her ‘platinum jubilee’ – the seventieth 70th anniversary of her accession to the throne.

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Making sure the 1950s and 60s royal tours of Australia ran on time at every destination was a fleet of Commonwealth cars and their drivers.

Prince Philip in Australia

A treasure trove of records from the National Archival collection document Prince Philip's many visits to Australia.

Queen Elizabeth II to make royal history

What is a platinum jubilee.

A Platinum Jubilee is a celebration to mark a 70-year anniversary. Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee marks 70 years of service, the longest reign of a British monarch. It is dated from the day Elizabeth succeeded to the throne when her father King George VI died on 6 February 1952. Elizabeth was 25 years old.

“They’ve never reached a Platinum Jubilee in Britain before,” said Dr Cindy McCreery , an expert on the history of the British monarchy in the Department of History. “Queen Victoria came closest; she celebrated a Diamond Jubilee (60 years) in 1897 and it was considered a remarkable event all around the world. Now Queen Elizabeth II has reached 70 years. It’s a milestone that no other British monarch has ever reached. She’s a record breaker.”

Elizabeth was crowned on 2 June 1953 at Westminster Abbey more than a year after her accession. This delay was to respect the memory of George VI and to prepare for the elaborate ceremony, which was televised as well as broadcast via radio to millions around the globe. Elizabeth’s coronation was a deliberate mix of tradition and innovation. It was traditional for it to be held at Westminster Abbey, which had been the site in England for coronations for 900 years. Elizabeth was the 39 th sovereign to be crowned in Westminster Abbey. Innovations included the historic first television broadcast, and the lesser-known modernisation that allowed her son Prince Charles, aged four, to watch the coronation in Westminster Abbey.

Platinum Jubilee

Buckingham Palace has released a full program of celebrations throughout 2022. Although the anniversary is 6 February, the celebrations will mostly take place over a 4-day holiday weekend from Thursday 2 June to Sunday 5 June, when it is summer in the UK.

“There will be parades, a BBC party at the palace and lots of local community events, including street parties and lunches with Union Jack bunting,” Dr McCreery said. “There’s a pudding competition and I’m sure there will be a bonanza of commemorative coffee mugs and china, plus special stamps to mark the milestone.”

Queen’s legacy

“The Queen’s story is not yet complete and we should be mindful that the future does matter, and events can change rapidly,” Dr McCreery said. “It’s a little premature to review her legacy but there are a few things that are clear.”

Respect: “The Queen has done so much to instil a sense of respect and confidence in not just the Royal Family and the role of the monarch but in Britain as a nation. It’s going to be hard in the future to disentangle the history of Britain since 1952 from the history of Elizabeth II. In many ways, she has served as a beacon of service and duty and quiet dignity that, in turn, has had beneficial effects on the reputation of the nation itself, and that has done enormous good for Britain.”

Painful decolonisation : “Her legacy will be complex because in recent years we are less dewy-eyed about the British colonial past. This was an era of rapid and often painful decolonisation. Since her reign began, we have seen the departure of many countries from British rule, the establishment of republics and independence movements, often involving warfare, and great civil unrest and suffering. On the whole the Queen has weathered those storms very well.”

Family behaviour: “In recent years there has been concern around the behaviour of members of the Royal Family and what role the Queen may have played in perhaps shielding them from legal or press attention. Down the track there may be disquiet around the power she’s had in protecting them from investigation.”

The press: “Social change, economic change and political change have seen a great reduction in deference to the Royal Family. Journalists and the public are pushing to know more about the Queen and her family in a way that was not acceptable or possible in the 1950s; it’s a fundamental social change. It’s complicated as well because the Royal Family has actively courted the press. The 1969 film The Royal Family was promoted by Prince Philip to show the public a harmonious happy family life, but the problem is that once you open up, it’s subsequently very difficult to control the press. There is now a dependant relationship between the Royal Family and the press – as much as they dislike it and complain about it, they know that without the press they are potentially nothing or not meaningful. It’s a complex relationship.”

Moments of doubt : “The Queen has been very successful in appearing as someone who is above party politics and doesn’t interfere in the running of the country. But there are moments of real doubt such as the Palace Letters controversy that we’ve seen in Australia. It wasn’t the Queen herself who has been exposed as interfering in another country’s policies, but to have her private secretary egging on the Australian Governor-General John Kerr around matters related to the Dismissal of the Whitlam government in 1975, there is definitely interference there. It’s hard to imagine that goes on without her tacit awareness. That does cause problems and could raise further issues in Australia around what is the benefit of having a monarch from one nation serve as the head of state of another nation.”

Influence in Australia

“For many in Australia, particular older women, they will have a continuing sense of admiration for the Queen,” Dr McCreery said. “It dates to that first visit to Australia in 1954 when three-quarters of the population lined the streets to see her in person. If you talk to older people many will remember that moment or will want to talk about it. For that generation, they see her as part of our history and their personal and family history and identity. That is not expected to wane after she dies and a new monarch ascends the British throne.

“For younger Australians who don’t have that historical memory or don’t have British heritage, there would understandably be a different relationship. The Queen hasn’t been to Australia since 2011 and she won’t be doing any more long-haul travel, so for younger Australians there may be little recognition of her importance after she dies. For some, she’s very important. For others, not so much.

“We should also acknowledge that Australia has long had a strong republican movement, which ironically is partly due to its historical relationship with Britain. Numerous British and Irish migrants, angry with British (mis)rule at home (and in some cases arriving in Australia as convicts transported due to their political activities), brought their republican associations with them, as did subsequent migrants from America and elsewhere. First Nations Australians of course have a special tradition of self-governance of this land that predates western political models of government, and in many ways this poses a challenge to both monarchists and republicans in Australia.”

What’s next for the Queen?

“Just like everyone else the Queen pivoted during the COVID-19 pandemic and she stopped the weekly in-person meetings with the British Prime Minister and moved to telephone calls,” Dr McCreery said.

“As she ages further, we will see more remote video engagements to conserve her energy. But I expect she will absolutely step up to important moments of national celebration unless there is a health crisis.

“In 2022, she is expected to attend official Platinum Jubilee functions in June. After that, some official events might be done in person, by video link or delegated to other Royal Family members, such as Prince Charles or Prince William.

“If there is a health crisis, there is a policy in place and counsellors of state who step in to take over some of her official duties. If she is hospitalised for weeks, then a Regency could be established with Prince Charles serving as Regent. I don’t think this will happen unless it’s serious. She is loath to move to that formal level of stepping back from her duties. Instead, we will see a slow reduction in her duties but not a complete break.”

Dr Cindy McCreery is director of the Modern Monarchy in Global Perspective Research Network . She is running an international online conference in June called Going Platinum: Australian responses to the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. Banner photo of the Queen: Shutterstock

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