Princess Anne will land in one of the countries in Australia royal family first international appearances since King Charles’ abdication that of his brother princely title.
The monarch’s younger sister, often dubbed Britain’s hardest-working royal, is expected to tour the country for four days with her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, to mark the centenary of the Royal Australian Corps of Signals.
The trip was likely planned months ago, without prior knowledge of the king’s actions against their brother, the former prince now known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.
University of Sydney monarchy expert Associate Professor Cindy McCreery said the tour could be a chance to take some of the heat off the royals.
“The best scenario for the monarchy is to have an example of what the public wants to see – namely a hard-working royal being received by people who are happy to see her,” McCreery said.
‘People will try to ask her questions, but I suspect she will say very little or nothing.
“Princess Anne is widely respected and admired in Australia… so I don’t think she will personally suffer any particular negative consequences because of her brother’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.”
King Charles III announced in late October that he would strip his younger brother of his title and expel him from his mansion after more details emerged about the ex-prince’s ties to high-profile sex offender Epstein.
The scandal had dealt a huge blow to Australia’s perception of the royal family, McCreery said.
“It casts doubt on what the monarch knew in advance, whether he acted quickly enough and whether he is merely responding to public criticism and media pressure rather than acting in the interests of victims of abuse.”
Australian Monarchist League national president Philip Benwell said the former prince had been less involved in Australia, which could work in the princess’s favour.
“Princess Anne and the King have had a lot to do with Australia, but Prince Andrew has had very little to do with it,” he said.
“It’s wonderful that Princess Anne is visiting Australia.”
Despite this, her trip is unlikely to attract as much attention as previous royal visits, such as the King and Queen’s tour in 2024.
Princess Anne is expected to attend memorial services and centenary events in Sydney and Brisbane.
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