Australia's Head of State

Australia's Head of State is the King of Australia, His Majesty King Charles III.

The King’s Royal title in Australia is King Charles the Third, by the Grace of God King of Australia and his other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth.

One Australian prime minister has served during The King’s reign: the 31st Prime Minister of Australia, The Hon Anthony Albanese MP

Two governors-general have served during The King’s reign: His Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Retd) and Her Excellency the Honourable Ms Sam Mostyn AC

The King is patron of a number of Australian charities and associations including: the Australian Football League Europe, Australian Wildlife Conservancy, Marine Rescue New South Wales, the Australian Music Foundation, the Australian Stock Horse Society, the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame and Outback Heritage Centre, the Prince Charles Hospital Foundation, the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia, Friends in the United Kingdom, Variety Australia. 

Head of the Commonwealth

The King is Sovereign of 15 Commonwealth Realms:

  • United Kingdom
  • Australia
  • The Bahamas
  • Belize
  • Canada
  • Grenada
  • Jamaica
  • New Zealand
  • Papua New Guinea
  • St Christopher and Nevis
  • Saint Lucia
  • Tuvalu
  • Antigua and Barbuda 
  • Solomon Islands
  • St Vincent and the Grenadines.

In addition to the 15 Commonwealth Realms above, there are 41 other countries in the Commonwealth, totalling 56 member countries representing 2.5 billion people – almost a third of the world’s population.

  • Africa: Botswana, Cameroon, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Kingdom of Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Togo, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia.
  • Asia: Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, India, Malaysia, Maldives, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka
  • Caribbean and Americas: Dominica, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados
  • Europe: Cyprus, Malta
  • Pacific: Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu

Latest news

Their Majesties stand either side of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese with Sydney Harbour and the Sydney Opera House in the background.
Australia's Head of State

The King and Queen’s Royal Visit to Australia

HRH King Charles III and Queen Camilla wearing blue suits.
2024 Royal Visit | Royal Visits

Where to see The King and Queen in Canberra and Sydney

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