Turnbull recalls gift

When the Queen presented the Australian prime minister and republican Malcolm Turnbull with portraits of herself and Prince Philip in 2017, she said: ‘‘Here you are. You can put them in a cupboard, I suppose.’’ Recalling the moment through tears on Friday, Turnbull, who led the Australian Republican Movement before the 1999 referendum when the country voted against becoming a republic, embodied the sentiments of many. ‘‘Even republicans like myself can be, and in my case are, very strong Elizabethans,’’ Turnbull said. Present Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is also a republican but when asked about the Queen’s death, he said: ‘‘Today’s not a day for politics.’’ Only Australian Greens leader and republican Adam Bandt pressed the issue, saying on Twitter: ‘‘We need a treaty with First Nations [Aboriginal] people and we need to become a republic.’’