King Charles holds audience with strategic Governor

Following the death of his mother and the mourning days that followed, royal life is slowly taking the shape of a new normal for King Charles. 

In his first one-on-one meeting with a foreign authority since taking the throne, His Majesty welcomed the Governor of Victoria, Australia, at Balmoral Castle on Wednesday, 5 October. 

Governor Linda Dessau was elected to this role in July 2015, having had a previous career as a family lawyer and barrister until 2013. She is the first woman and first Jewish person to hold the office. 

Victoria is Australia’s second-smallest state and is home to the highest number of indigenous groups. They were among the loudest voices of the anti-monarchy protests that echoed around the country throughout the transition. 

Victoria is also one of the areas of the globe where most feel the effects of climate change, with temperatures getting warmer and the air getting drier, inevitably leading to easier ignitions and the spread of bushfires. 

Climate change is a prominent topic in Australia’s political sphere at the moment, and many key figures have sharply criticised the monarchy for bending to the demands of the British government and preventing any member of the Royal Family from taking part in COP27. This climate conference will take place in November in Cairo, Egypt. 

Both minority rights and climate change are topics that King Charles has been working on for many years as the Prince of Wales, which is why this audience with Governor Dessau was so important. 

Like a Governor-General in the countries of the Commonwealth that still have the monarch as head of state, the Governor of a region acts “at the pleasure of His Majesty,” generally for a five-year term, that can be renovated depending on local rules. 

The Governor is the representative of the sovereign in that area and is appointed by the King upon the suggestion of the Premier of that State – the Premier is elected by the people of that area according to local rules.