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Prince Harry’s new book has seen more Australians support Australia to become a republic, but not because they agree with the ‘bad royals’ narrative, they’re just sick of the drama.
A survey conducted by the Resolve Political Monitor for the Sydney Morning Herald of 1,606 Australian voters found that more Australians want the nation to become independent from Britain compared to the poll results in September last year.
The data collected shows that 40 percent of voters were in favor of Australia becoming a republic, with 22 percent saying they were fully in favor and 18 percent somewhat in favor.
When asked the same question after the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September last year, only 35 percent of voters said they wanted Australia to become a republic.
A new poll found that 40 per cent of Australian voters want the country to become a republic and 21 per cent said their opinion was influenced by interviews and television documentaries of Harry and Meghan (above), as well as by Harry’s new book, Spare.
The poll first asked 1,606 voters if they were in favor of Australia becoming a republic (results above).
Voters were also asked if Harry and Meghan’s appearances in television interviews, their Netflix documentary or Harry’s bombshell book Spare had influenced their position on an Australian Republic.
Among the revelations about the royal family made in his book, Harry claimed that Prince William “threw me to the ground” during an argument in 2019 and “pounced” on him in 2021 when he confronted Will about the family’s treatment of Meghan. .
Of the 21 percent of voters who said their opinion was affected, 14 percent said they were more likely to vote for a republic, while 7 percent said they were less likely.
But despite Harry and Meghan’s efforts to antagonize the royal family, Australian Republic Movement national director Sandy Biar said Australians are more likely to want to stay away from the royals because they are tired of the disputes.
She said the brief leap from Australians voicing support for the monarchy after the Queen’s death did not worry the ARM because respect would quickly be undone by other royal antics.
The survey then asked whether Harry and Meghan’s behavior had influenced their support for a republic (results above).
Vocal republican advocate Peter FitzSimons (pictured with wife Lisa Wilkinson) said more Australians would vote to make Australia a republic in a real election because “the real monarchy nuts are so few”.
‘Last year’s surveys did not worry us in the least. We knew that once the reality of having King Charles was established, support would come back to a republic with a bang,” Ms. Biar told the Herald.
“Royals are too busy fighting each other to represent Australia or defend our interests.”
Vocal advocate for a republic Peter FitzSimons, husband of high-profile TV presenter Lisa Wilkinson, shared the poll on Twitter, writing: “Real drama pushes Australian voters towards republic.”
He then added: ‘Many (of voters) are undecided, and when the campaign starts, it will break through. The true crazy for the monarchy are very few.
The poll data revealed that 30 per cent of Australians were unsure whether they would vote for a republic or not.
Deputy Republic Minister Matt Thistlethwaite said a new Australia Day date would help bring Australians together once the country became a republic (Australia Day revelers pictured)
Deputy Republic Minister Matt Thistlethwaite said a new Australia Day date, when the nation becomes a republic, could better unite the nation.
He said the government had no plans to change the date of Australia Day.
“But I recognize that for many Australians, particularly First Nations Australians, it’s a difficult day and it’s not a day they feel proud and want to celebrate,” he told Sky News.
“In the future, we could look at an alternative and, in my opinion, that alternative could be if Australians vote to become a republic and we recognize our true independence and maturity as a nation.”
The Albanian government has ruled out holding a republican referendum in this parliamentary term despite signaling its support for the initiative.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described Australia Day as “our chance to celebrate how lucky we are to live in the best country in the world.”
“Importantly, it’s also an opportunity to reflect on how we can do even better,” he wrote in an opinion piece on Thursday.