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King Charles has hosted Anthony Albanese and his fiancée Jodie Haydon at the sprawling Balmoral Castle grounds in the Scottish Highlands.
At the same time, the Opposition is questioning the use of taxpayer funds for the prime minister to travel to Liverpool tomorrow to deliver a speech at a UK Labour conference, supporting British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is trailing in the polls.
Opposition leader Sussan Ley says Albanese is in the UK as the nation’s prime minister, “not the leader of the Australian Labor Party”.
“He shouldn’t be swanning around on the taxpayer dollar at Labour political conferences hanging out with his left-wing mates,” she said.
“I met with Kemi Badenoch yesterday,” Albanese said, referring to London talks with the UK Opposition leader to defend against claims of partisanship.
Albanese also maintains that, given the Australia-UK free trade deal and the AUKUS agreement, it’s important to engage with various members of the ministry.
He told SBS World News he would be meeting with the UK defence minister and home affairs minister while in Liverpool.
A royal and a republican
Albanese also took a day trip from London to take up the audience with Australia’s monarch as part of his trip to the UK.
The prime minister is a staunch republican — he even appointed an assistant minister for the republic when he was first elected to the top job — but he said there was no appetite for a republic referendum in this term of parliament.
“I have always supported an Australian as our head of state,” the prime minister told SBS World News.
“But the existing arrangements are in place. We have, I think, a very respectful relationship, and we have a Monarch, His Majesty, who’s very passionate in the interests about Australia, interested about world affairs and the future, and the opportunity to engage with him constructively is one that I will always take up.”
Australian tourist Deb Miller was travelling in Scotland and came to see Balmoral Castle when she noticed a convoy of cars arriving at the gates.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and partner Jodie Haydon arrive at the gate to Balmoral Castle for an audience with King Charles III. Source: AAP / Lukas Coch
Initially, she thought a member of the royal family may have been approaching.
“It would have been nice if he stopped and said g’day,” she said of the prime minister’s arrival — gliding through the gates in a car with darkened windows.
Albanese travelled to the remote part of Scotland and entered the gates at Balmoral.
Miller had arrived at the castle hoping to sight-see, but it was closed to the public today, so seeing her prime minister on the other side of the world had to suffice for a tourist experience.
