Royal Wedding, Visit Key Factors Against Immediate Ditching of Monarchy in Australia
A British government report credits Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding and the Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip's 11-day visit to Australia for the brief respite from the republican movement.
The report, compiled in September and November, right after the major royal events, said that the debate over Australia becoming a republic was taken off the table in the meantime.
However, the British Foreign Office acknowledged that changing demographics and lesser Australian ties to Britain make it inevitable that Aussies would eventually ditch the monarchy, but likely only after the Queen's death.
The report also pointed to Prince William's visit to Australia in 2010 as key factors in curbing republicanism and boosting enthusiasm for royalty.
On a longer term outlook, the report conceded that Australians' desire to become a republic is a natural part of their maturing as a country. However, Micheal Keating, chairman of the Australian Republican Movement, insisted that Aussies desire to cut ties with the British monarchy is still extremely strong.
He described the Queen and Prince William's Australia visit as part of a well orchestrated strategy by the Windsor family to reinvent the monarchs around the world.
As a result, when the young prince - who is second in line to the British throne - visited the U.S. and Canada within the year, about 750,000 North Americans came out to the streets to get a glimpse of the young royal couple.
The Queen has also been observed to be smiling more often in her royal visits, which contrasts with her usual dour and glum facial expressions a decade ago.