The front page of the Sydney Morning Herald reported that the British royal crisis has led to a surge in support for Australian republicanism.

Australians have made severe judgments about the former Prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, with the majority of people disliking the second son of the late Queen Elizabeth II and supporting King Charles's decision to strip his brother of his title and expel him from the royal residence. For this former prince, who was once the second in line to the throne and is currently eighth in the line of succession, this is another blow — meaning he still has the right to be the head of state of Australia — 60% of Australians want him removed from the line of succession.

Due to the prince's friendship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the proposal to remove him is being debated in Britain, and it requires legal changes in Britain as well as in Commonwealth countries including Australia. Under the focus on Prince Andrew and the royal family, the proportion of support for Australia becoming a republic has also surged to 43%, which is the highest level of support recorded in the "Resolve Political Monitoring" survey for this publication.

The establishment of a republic in Australia refers to the process of the country transitioning from a constitutional monarchy to a republic, with the core goal of abolishing the system of the British monarch as the head of state and having an Australian take the role of head of state (such as an elected president), achieving full political independence.

When the federation was established in 1901, Australia, as a member of the Commonwealth, implemented a constitutional monarchy, with the British monarch as the head of state, represented by the Governor-General.‌

The Australia Act was passed in 1986, formally establishing legislative independence, but the head of state remained the British monarch.‌

Supporters demand the abolition of the Governor-General system, establishing an elected president or a ceremonial president appointed by parliament, with the head of state being an Australian.‌

A referendum was held in 1999, but it failed due to the scheme not meeting the public's expectations for an empowered president.‌

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1848815434750976/

Statement: The article represents the views of the author himself.