Canada, Australia, New Zealand mark King Charles' coronation with 21-gun salutes

SYDNEY – Canada, Australia and New Zealand celebrated the

coronation of King Charles III

with 21-gun salutes in their capitals, after the countries’ leaders all attended the coronation ceremony in London.

King Charles is head of state in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and 11 other Commonwealth realms outside the United Kingdom, although the role is largely ceremonial.

Both Australia and New Zealand held events on Sunday to celebrate the coronation, with ABC television broadcasting a 21-gun salute in front of Australia’s Parliament in Canberra.

A military flypast scheduled to take place afterwards was cancelled due to poor weather, Defence Australia tweeted.

In New Zealand, the Defence Force said the army fired a 21-gun salute from Point Jerningham in the capital Wellington.

In Canada, dignitaries and fans of the monarchy gathered in Ottawa on Saturday to mark the coronation with music and poetry, as the country unveiled new coins and stamps in his honour.

With Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in London attending the coronation, back in Ottawa almost 300 officials, military leaders and others took part in the hour-long ceremony in a hall across from Parliament that was capped off with a 21-gun salute.

Across the rest of Canada – some enthusiasts held viewing parties, but for the most part interest appeared muted.

A lone street protestor in Ottawa held a sign calling for Canada to abolish the monarchy, echoing the views of two out of three Canadians surveyed in a recent Abacus Data poll.

At the ceremony, Algonquin storyteller Albert Dumont kicked off the proceedings by recalling how “the power of the British sword destroyed the tranquillity of gentle Turtle Island”, an indigenous term for North America before colonisation.

“A new dawn”, he said, has brought with it a new king “who promises to strengthen the human bond between the monarchy and all peoples of the Commonwealth”.

Mr Dumont was followed by the thumping beats of a traditional indigenous drum circle, a lively Canadian folk music performance that had the audience clapping along and tapping their feet, and the unveiling of Canadian coins and stamps featuring the King’s likeness and royal symbols.

Featured guests included aerospace engineer Farah Alibay, who has worked on Mars rover missions and poet Sabrina Benaim, who spoke of a “coronation of possibility” as she cast a light on social issues including the global transition away from fossil fuels.

Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc told AFP that the King’s values align with those of most Canadians.

The King “was talking about nature conservancy, endangered species, and protecting the climate, historical architecture and global heritage decades ago”, he said.

Mr LeBlanc also told AFP that the new King was expected in the coming months to make his 19th visit to Canada.

This will be an opportunity, he said, for the King to continue conversations about reconciliation with indigenous peoples, which Charles had described as “vital” during his last trip to Canada in May 2022.

Indigenous peoples represent 5 per cent of Canada’s population of 38 million.

As for the future of the monarchy in Canada, he said it “has been an integral part of our institutions and our identity” and there were no plans to dump it.

Canadians expect their government to focus on issues impacting their daily lives, not engaging in a “divisive discussions” about the monarchy, he added.

Protestor Alexandria Xavier Phillips was not swayed by arguments that the monarchy provides constitutional stability.

“I want the monarchy to be abolished,” he said. “I loved Queen Elizabeth. I believe King Charles is a nice man, but I think the monarchy is outdated and incompatible with democracy.”

Republican sentiment is also growing in the Southern Hemisphere, with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his New Zealand counterpart Chris Hipkins, both of whom were also at Westminster Abbey for the coronation, in favour of their countries breaking with the monarchy.

The

death of Queen Elizabeth in September 2022

reignited debate, particularly in Australia, about the need to retain a distant constitutional monarchy.

The country held a referendum in 1999 on becoming a republic with 55 per cent of voters opposed, while more recent polls have shown varying levels of support. REUTERS, AFP