Australians rediscover their love of monarchy

SUPPORT for the monarchy among Australians is at its highest level for 20 years, as the Queen arrived for an 11-day tour of the country yesterday.

A new opinion poll has found 55 per cent of people are in favour, with 34 per cent supporting a republic.

The figures represent a reversal of the strong support received for a republic in the run-up to the 1999 referendum, which rejected a republic, when advance polling put backing for the monarchy at just 38 per cent.

The Queen – who will open a meeting of Commonwealth leaders in Perth next week – and the Duke of Edinburgh will be based for much of their time in the capital, Canberra, but will also travel to Melbourne and Brisbane.

The Queen emerged from the entrance of a chartered British Airways Boeing 777 plane into brilliant sunshine at Defence Establishment Fairbairn, a military airfield near Canberra, after a 22-hour journey. The couple smiled broadly and waved at crowds on the tarmac who cheered when they first caught a glimpse of them.

There was a slight mishap to the ceremonial welcome as the aircraft missed its marker on the tarmac. When the air stairs were driven up against its side, part of the red carpet disappeared under the vehicle’s wheels.

A cold forced the Queen to cancel a visit to the British Museum last week in an attempt to get better before the trip to the southern hemisphere.

Some commentators have described the visit by the monarch as possibly her last to Australia, but the Queen and her consort defy their ages, maintaining good health, travelling widely and leading active lives.

Highlights of the tour include travelling by tram in Melbourne and boating up the Brisbane River.