A spokesman for the Australian state government of New South Wales said today, that the decision not to light the sails of the Sydney Opera House to mark the coronation of King Charles is aimed at saving costs. The role of the monarchy is controversial across Australia, where King Charles is the head of state.
Australia held a referendum in 1999 to become a republic, but 55 percent of voters voted against it, but opinion polls conducted recently showed varying levels of support, reports Al-Rai daily quoting Reuters.
While many public and monumental buildings, including the Parliament building in the capital, Canberra, will be lit in royal purple to celebrate the coronation, the Sydney Opera House, which lit the lights last year to commemorate the death of Queen Elizabeth II, will not be among these buildings.
“The New South Wales Government believes it has struck the right balance in terms of meeting community expectations for the celebration of the occasion while taking into account overhead costs,” a government spokesperson said.
It is scheduled to include the ceremonies that will be held in the Houses of Parliament on Sunday, the firing of members of the Australian army 21-gun salute in addition to a review of the Australian Air Force.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who is in London for the coronation, said he would take the oath of allegiance to King Charles at the ceremony despite being a Republican.
He added, “I would like an Australian to assume the presidency of the country but this does not mean that we do not respect the institution represented by the system of government that we have.”
In addition to Australia, Britain’s King Charles III is also the head of state in New Zealand and 12 other Commonwealth countries, although the role is largely ceremonial.
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