The heads of six Australian states will miss a reception for King Charles III when he arrives Down Under, while the British monarch has said he would not oppose the former prison colony declaring itself a republic.

While Australia has been fully independent since 1986, its titular head of state is still the British monarch. A 1999 referendum to declare a republic failed, in part due to the popularity of Queen Elizabeth II at the time.

Charles is due to arrive in Australia later this week. On Monday, the premiers of six federal states informed Canberra they would not be able to attend the reception for the monarch, citing prior commitments.

“The failure of state premiers to attend the reception in Canberra is completely indefensible,” Bev McArthur, a Liberal MP and head of the Australian Monarchist League told the BBC. She accused the premiers of wearing “republican hats” and engaging in “gesture-led politics” to insult the king.

RT