Whitlam’s dismissal had royal approval
Prince Charles gave his support to the governor-general of Australia over the sacking of the country’s prime minister in 1975, newly released private letters have revealed.
The dismissal of Gough Whitlam’s government by Sir John Kerr, the Queen’s representative, was one of the most controversial episodes in Australian politics.
Papers released this year show that the Queen took no part in the sacking of the Labor prime minister. However, the letters reveal that Charles was the first member of the royal family to back
Kerr.
The dismissal was the result of a political impasse after Whitlam’s government had been rocked by scandals and an economic crisis. The opposition urged Kerr to sack
Whitlam unless he agreed to call an election.
In March 1976, four months after the sacking, the prince, aged 27, wrote to express sympathy for Sir John.
‘‘ Please don’t lose heart,’’ he wrote. ‘‘What you did last year was right and the courageous thing to do – and most Australians seemed to endorse your decision when it came to the point.’’
The revelations will foster resentment among Australian republicans that the future king was prepared to back the government’s dismissal.
Urging Kerr not to resign despite protests, Charles wrote: ‘‘I wanted to write and say how much I sympathize [sic] with you.’’ He pressed him not to worry too much about these ‘‘demonstrations and stupidities’’, or to become ‘‘ depressed or dejected with your role’’.
He added that every time he went to a university there was a ‘‘demonstration or ‘scene’ of one sort or another’’.
‘‘When I went to Hobart university the last time I was in Australia, they had a demonstration in favour of the IRA, which infuriated me, and then rained flour & water bombs on me from the windows!’’