HOLLYWOOD actor Hugh Jackman has said he thinks it is “inevitable” that Australia will become a republic.
Speaking on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Jackman said that although he had “no ill will” against King Charles, he felt that breaking away from the UK monarchy seemed like a “natural part of an evolution of a country”.
The 54-year-old X-Men action star also revealed that he held dual British and Australian citizenship and that he grew up in a household that celebrated the royal family.
“I think Australia will become republican at some point. It feels natural,” he said.
“It feels like something that is, I would guess inevitable, and I guess would be a natural part of an evolution of a country. You know?
“I’m a British citizen as I am an Australian citizen – I don’t know if people know that but I am… my father made us stop doing whatever we could to watch in 1981 the wedding of Lady Di and Prince Charles. We had champagne.
“So I grew up with a lot of that. There was no bunting in our house, but if my dad could have found that there would have been bunting and I have absolutely no ill will and I only wish King Charles all the best.”
He added that he “really appreciated” the service of both the King and late-Queen, whom he had met on several occasions.
“I admire it and I only wish them the best,” he said.
Asked again if he thought Australia would “go its own way”, he replied: “I think it’s inevitable at some point.”
It comes just weeks after it was announced that King Charles's image would not appear on the new Australian five dollar bank note.
Following the death of the Queen last year, former Australian prime minister Julia Gillard said it would “unleash a new set of reflections about our own constitutional arrangements”.
