The former Australian leader says Meghan and Harry’s interview strengthens the case to sever ties with the UK monarchy

Sydney, Australia – Former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told television interview with Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, reinforced her argument for Australia to break its constitutional ties with the British monarchy. Turnbull met the couple in April 2018, four months before he was replaced by current Prime Minister Scott Morrison in an internal power struggle.

“Clearly it’s an unhappy family or at least Meghan and Harry are unhappy. It sounds very sad,” Turnbull told Australian Broadcasting Corp.

“After the end of the Queen’s reign, this is the time for us to say: Okay, we have passed this watershed. We really want to have whoever is the head of state of the King or Queen of the United Kingdom. ?, automatically our head of state? ”Turnbull added.

In the couple’s interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan said she hoped to serve as a beacon of hope for blacks everywhere, but particularly in the Commonwealth nations, many of them in Africa, that show acceptance within the highest level of British society and power. .

The Duchess said she was devastated by the lack of support she received from the royal family, however, as she was facing mental health issues and on numerous occasions both she and Harry made it clear that they felt there was funding. racial factors in this treatment.

The British Commonwealth

Australia is one of just over 50 countries that, despite being independent, have chosen to maintain close association and cooperation with the United Kingdom after abandoning the colonial rule imposed centuries ago during the reign of the British Empire.

As a member of this British Commonwealth, Australia continues to recognize the British monarch as its formal head of state, although neither Queen Elizabeth II nor the UK government have any real role in governing the former colony. , which gained independence 100 years ago.

Turnbull was the main advocate for Australia to select an Australian citizen as head of state when he was president of the Australian Republican Movement from 1993 to 2000.

In 1999 a referendum was defeated for Australia to become a republic, despite opinion polls showing that most Australians believed their country should have an Australian head of state.

Many advocates of an Australian republic want an American system where the president is popularly elected instead of serving in a head-to-head role as proposed in 1999.

Morrison was not questioned about the royal interview during a press conference on Tuesday.