The cost of flying the Prince of Wales, Prince Charles and Camilla Duchess of Cornwall to and from Australia is extraordinary.
After a few days the price tag for airfares alone is already over $75,000 and rising fast.
This is ridiculously expensive. It is more than five times the cost of luxury flights from Singapore to Brisbane for the couple – in first class, on British Airways – and the Prince still has a return trip planned to the Republic of Vanuatu, travel across Queensland and the Northern Territory, and perhaps a return to Singapore.
It is quite shocking that Australian citizens have been asked to provide these costly and luxurious flights, including a private stop-over on arrival in Australia and a visit to another country, to two of the richest people in the world.
The Australian Republic Movement does sincerely welcome Prince Charles to Australia for the Commonwealth Games.
We do urge him to use this visit to show what kind of King of Australia he would be.
And we do believe Australians deserve to know what the Prince’s visit will cost us all.
Seven years ago the Queen and her husband visited and cost us more than $2.6 million.
What will this month’s visit cost?
These are questions for the Australian Government – and they provoke questions for monarchists, who so frequently cite cost as an objection to Australia having an Australian as our head of state.
Michael Cooney, National Director and CEO, Australian Republic Movement
