What do Queen Elizabeth and Taylor Swift have in common?

There was a time when the Queen Elizabeth she was truly loved as one star. His former press secretary, Ailsa Andersonwho worked with the sovereign from 2011 to 2013, even compared her to Taylor Swift, talking to the The Sun on the occasion of the royal tour of King Charles III and Queen Camilla in Australia, with thoughts running to The Queen’s last trip to the country, in 2011. «I remember the crowd, the great Australian barbecue in Perth, which was l ‘last great event,’ the woman said, «It seemed that Taylor Swift was the queen. Honestly, the crowd was huge, cheering. It was electric.”

Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in Australia in 2011.

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A very different situation from today, which is why Anderson’s interview does not seem like a coincidence. Elizabeth II may have been as popular as the singer of the moment, but for Charles III and his wife Camilla things are very different.

The king was hotly contested in Canberra, during his visit to the Australian Parliament. Aboriginal senator Lidia Thorpe accused him of genocide, pointing the finger at the Crown. «This is not your country», he began, «You have committed genocide against our people. Give us back our land. Give us back what you have stolen from us: our bones, our skulls, our children, our people. You destroyed our land. Give us a treaty. We want a treaty in this country. You are a genocide.” And again: «This is not your land. You are not my king. You are not our king.”

Senator Lidia Thorpe contested Charles III in Australia.

Senator Lidia Thorpe contested Charles III in Australia.

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Ailsa Anderson knows very well that times have changed and that the certainty that Australia will always be part of what was once a Kingdom is no longer as absolute as it once was. He knows that the monarchy’s influence will remain, but that it will no longer reach the levels it once did.

King Charles in Australia
King Charles in Australia, the memory of past royal tours: the stolen kiss of a model and dancing with Diana
The historic royal tour of King Charles and Queen Camilla in Australia and Samoa began in recent days. The sovereign, despite the increasingly insistent republican winds, loves Australia where he has been 16 times, becoming, in the past, also the protagonist of gags and the victim of an attempted attack

Meanwhile, King Charles’ journey continues without too many glitches. Arriving last October 18th, he was busy with institutional visits and less demanding commitments, designed to allow him not to get too tired, given that he is still being treated for the cancer he was diagnosed with at the beginning of the year.

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King Charles and Queen Camilla in Sydney: the royal tour of Australia begins
The royal couple has arrived in Australia. The official commitments will begin on Sunday 20th, after a day of relaxation. The trip, strongly desired by Charles, is the first to a Commonwealth state since he ascended the throne, and to be there he temporarily suspended cancer treatment

For the king this is a very important journey: he is the first in a country of the Kingdom since he ascended the throne, so much so that I temporarily interrupted the therapies to deal with it better. And after Australia he and Queen Camilla moved to Samoa for the second part of the tour. He is impassive, at least apparently. His role, after all, doesn’t allow him anything else.

Charles III and Queen Camilla in Canberra.

Charles III and Queen Camilla in Canberra.

Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Charles III in Samoa.

Charles III in Samoa.

Pool/Getty Images

Source: Vanity Fair

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