Queen: Graham Smith discusses royal referendum

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Graham Smith told Express.co.uk that it would be absurd for Britain not to hold a referendum on the future of the Royal Family if countries such as Canada and Australia committed to holding pubic debates and votes on Prince Charles remaining their head of state once he succeeds Queen Elizabeth II. Republic is an organisation that campaigns for the monarchy to be abolished and for the Queen to be replaced by a democratic, elected head of state.

Mr Smith said: “We want a referendum, as far as I am concerned the Queen should be the last monarch.

“I think that requires a referendum, if Charles is the last monarch for a couple of years so we can do that then fine.

“It would be absurd to witness Australia and Canada having public debates and referendums and us not being allowed to discuss that issue.

“We have a petition running calling for a referendum and also calling for a sensible debate on it so we can make an honest choice.”

He added: “Everything that happens around the monarchy these days just makes it more likely not less likely that the Commonwealth countries are going to move away from the monarchy.”

Following Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s interview with Oprah Winfrey, where the couple heavily criticised the Royal Family, which aired in March 2021, a debate was sparked regarding the monarchy across the world.

In March 2021 it was reported that less than one-third of Canadians wanted to continue with the UK’s monarch as their head of state for future generations.

Shachi Kurl told CBC British Columbia that Canadians were expressing more “cynicism” towards the Royal Family even prior to Meghan Markle’s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey.

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She added that currently only 50 percent of Canadians supported Queen Elizabeth II as head of state and less than 33 percent want to continue with the monarchy for future generations. 

Ms Kurl said: “Even before [the] interview, Canadians have progressively been expressing more cynicism and standoffishness to the continuation of Canada as a constitutional monarchy.

“We are now seeing that fewer than one-third of Canadians saying that we should continue with the monarchy for generations to come.

“You have also only got fifty percent, just half of Canadians that say they support Queen Elizabeth II continuing as head of state.”

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Canada was not the only Commonwealth country discussing the future of the UK’s monarchy following the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s interview.

Former Australia Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told ITV that the nation should hold another referendum on replacing the UK’s monarch with an Australian head of state.

Australia last held a referendum on the monarchy in 1999 and voted to keep Queen Elizabeth II as their head of state.

A YouGov poll in March 2021, found that Prince William was the most popular choice for the UK’s next head of state.

Despite being first in line to the throne, Prince Charles ranked behind David Attenborough and Boris Johnson in the poll as well as receiving the same level of support as Stephen Fry.

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