Malcolm Turnbull is an 'Elizabethan' republican, he says
PRIME Minister Malcolm Turnbull, the republican, declared himself a "very strong Elizabethan" as he meets Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Life is "unpredictable", he said last night when asked if, as a republican, he had ever expected to meet her.
The meeting is private, but Mr Turnbull said earlier that he was looking forward to the monarch's "advice and wisdom".
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"The Queen has embodied selfless public service, dignity, wisdom, leadership, for longer and more magnificently than anyone alive today," he said. "There's no doubt about that.
"She's been a remarkable leader to the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth, she's been our head of state for all that time and I'll be very honoured to meet her as the Australian Prime Minister and share my thoughts about Australia and hear what she has to say. I'm really looking forward to it."
"Even republicans like myself can be and in my case are, very strong Elizabethans."
The Queen wore a wattle broach gifted to her during her 1954 Commonwealth tour.
She has worn the piece of jewellery on a number of occasions during her visits to Australia.
Mr Turnbull said he had to be "discreet" about the meeting but did say he might learn some more about which royal would open next year's Commonwealth Games.
