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Controversial soldier Ben Roberts-Smith has flown to The Queen’s funeral in London instead of accompanying Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on his VIP jet.
The Victoria Cross recipient left Brisbane for London on Thursday morning after both he and the three other Australian recipients of the country’s top honors were invited to the Queen’s funeral.
Mr Albanese separately invited 10 ‘everyday citizens’ invited by Buckingham Palace to attend the September 19 service – including horse trainers Gai Waterhouse and Chris Waller, and Australian of the Year Dylan Alcott.
That group will also fly to the UK on Thursday with Mr Albanese’s jet.
Ben Roberts-Smith checked in on his commercial flight on Monday to attend The Queen’s funeral in London
Queen Elizabeth greets Victoria Cross recipient Corporal Ben Roberts-Smith in 2011
Mr Roberts-Smith, 43, and three other living Australian Victoria Cross recipients were invited separately by the Victoria Cross and George Cross Association
Mr Roberts-Smith, 43, and other Australian Victoria Cross recipients were invited separately by the Victoria Cross and George Cross Association.
The Queen had been patroness of the association since its inception in 1956 and before her death, she asked that all living members be invited to her funeral.
Afghanistan veterans Mark Donaldson and Daniel Keighran and Vietnam veteran Keith Payne are the other three invited Australian war heroes.
Having been separately invited to Mr Albanese’s entourage, they had to make their own way to London, but the Ministry of Defense said the government would cover the cost of their flights “on request”.
Mr Donaldson will represent the quartet in a chivalrous procession on the day of the funeral and sit in the villain of Westminster Abbey for the funeral.
The other three, including Mr. Roberts-Smith, will be seated elsewhere in the church, further away from the proceedings. Everyone is invited to see the queen lying in state.
Robert-Smith being invited, as the recipient of the Victoria Cross, was undisputed, but some Australian diplomats were reportedly annoyed that he accepted it.
This is despite rejecting that he may not be seen as failing to honor the Queen’s wishes when extending the invitation.
Australian High Commission officials in London expected him to refuse to attend as he is dogged by war crimes charges and a high-profile trial, and are concerned he will be there.
His invitation has also been met with outrage from some of Nine’s reporters, despite it being automatic because of his medal.
Roberts-Smith is awaiting a verdict in a defamation case against Nine, the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age after indicting them on a series of reports accusing him of murdering Taliban prisoners in Afghanistan, which he vehemently denies.
As they were separately invited to Mr Albanese’s entourage they will have to make their own way to London but the government will cover the cost of their flights ‘on request’
Dressed in brown boots, jeans and a gray jacket, the towering ex-corporal walked alone with several bags before checking in and going through security
Dressed in brown boots, jeans and a gray jacket, the towering retired corporal walked alone with several bags before checking in and going through security.
He described the late Monarch as “gorgeous,” adding that she was “stoic leader” and “a beautiful lady.”
“I had a lot of respect for her and she was someone I admired immensely. In every interaction I had with The Queen, she was warm, insightful and engaging,” he said.
‘She was a magnificent monarch, a stoic leader, and most importantly, just a lovely lady. I am extremely honored to be fortunate enough to pay my respects to the Queen and humbled that she saw fit to include the Victoria Cross recipients in her funeral procession.”
The decorated digger said it was a “surreal” experience and that he was “overwhelmed” by her “kindness” and “intelligence” when he met Her Majesty in 2011 to receive his medal.
“She dropped her handbag on the two-seater sofa and pointed to me to sit down, and I assumed she would sit opposite me,” he recalls. Western Australian.
“But she sat right next to me, grabbed my arm and started talking to me that she’d just flown back from the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting at the time.”
Australian High Commission officials did not believe Mr Roberts-Smith would attend the funeral and are uneasy about his presence given his trial
Roberts-Smith is awaiting ruling in a defamation case against Nine, the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age after indicting them on a series of reports accusing him of murdering Taliban prisoners in Afghanistan, which he vehemently denies
The Age, Sydney Morning Herald and 60 Minutes journalist Nick McKenzie marked the occasion by tweeting that Mr Roberts-Smith ‘has been the subject of multiple…alleged war crime investigations by the Australian Federal Police’.
No charges have ever been filed against Roberts-Smith.
The proceedings in the Federal Court case ended on July 27 after more than 100 days of hearings.
Other Australians invited on Mr Albanese’s jet include 2022 and 2021 Senior Australian of the Year Valmai Dempsy and Dr Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr Baumann AM, 2022 Australian of the Year Local Hero Shanna Whan, 2022 Queensland Local Hero Saba Abraham and Tasmanian Local Hero Kim Smith APM.
Trudy Lin, Young Australian of the Year, from South Australia, and Professor Helen Milroy, Australian of the Year 2021, will also be part of the delegation.
Danny Abdallah – who stunned Australia by forgiving a drunk and drug-addicted driver who fatally ran into his three children and their cousin in 2020 – will also fly with the group on the Prime Minister’s plane.
Roberts-Smith raises controversial figure after a string of allegations after his fame after receiving the Victoria Cross
The towering ex-corporal walks through Brisbane International Airport on Thursday morning
Mr. Albanese also offered a space on his flight to Gai and Robert Waterhouse, racing champions who had a personal relationship with The Queen.
Mr Waterhouse told the Sydney Morning Herald it was “very gracious” of the Prime Minister to invite them aboard the VIP jet.
“We’ve known the Queen and Queen Mother for a long time, since Gai trained Clarence House for the Queen Mother, and we’ve had a long-standing relationship with them,” he said.
Gai has also trained Carlton House and Bold Sniper for the Queen, and we’ve had the privilege of having afternoon tea with the Queen and her mother at Royal Ascot and others on a number of occasions. They were remarkable people.
‘It is a very sad event, but we were very pleased to be dedicated to Her Majesty by the Lord Chamberlain. It was very kind of the Prime Minister to invite us to travel on his plane.’
Mr. Albanian’s plane also includes leaders from Pacific countries that the prime minister said could hitch a ride with him to save their small countries costs.