Prime Minister reveals event he missed to attend Queen’s funeral

The Prime Minister may have secured an invite by the Palace to attend the Queen’s funeral, but he’s shed light on the other big event he missed to attend.

Anthony Albanese has revealed he skipped a major event for the first time since the 1980s to attend the Queen’s funeral.

The Prime Minister will join the crowd of world leaders in Westminster Abbey on Monday night (Australian time) to pay respects and farewell the late Queen Elizabeth II.

It will wrap up a whirlwind five-day trip to the United Kingdom, where Mr Albanese had a private audience with King Charles and a number of informal meetings with his counterparts.

But his commitments overseas have meant he missed an event near to his heart – the South Sydney Rabbitohs’ final.

Mr Albanese is a mad Rabbitohs supporter. Picture: Damian Shaw

“I missed most of the game, unfortunately, but I did catch up on replay,” Mr Albanese said.

Speaking with 2GB, Mr Albanese disclosed it was the first time he’d missed a semi-final since the 1980s.

“Now that sounds like a big statement, except for when you remember we went a very long period, including the entire time I was on the board, without playing a semi final.”

The red-hot Rabbitohs dismantled the Cronulla Sharks to secure a spot in the preliminary final against Penrith, a rematch of last year’s grand final.

“I just hope that AJ (Alex Johnston) and the people who suffered injuries are all fit and able to get on the field,” the Prime Minister added.

Earlier, Mr Albanese recalled a fond memory of his late mother Maryanne, who was a republican but loved the Queen.

It was March 1963, and Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip had just arrived in Australia for a month-long tour on what would become just one of the couple’s 16 trips to the country.

Maryanne Albanese went into labour around the same time but on the drive to hospital, “insisted” going via the city “to see all the festival paraphernalia”.

“My mother was a republican, but she also liked the Queen,” the Prime Minister told ABC Melbourne from London.

Anthony Albanese says his mother was in labour but insisted on going past the royal visit. Picture: Twitter / Anthony Albanese

“I think you can have different views but have respect for Queen Elizabeth and the role she had.

“My mother insisted that while she was in labour on the way to the hospital, going via the city.

“It’s a story that is fairly famous in my family.”

Mr Albanese said his mother had regard for the Queen, given she was “such a strong woman and a role model”.

“I’ve been determined to pay respect to all of the protocols that have been in place for a long period of time, and I’ve done that,” Mr Albanese said.

“I’ve done that out of respect for Queen Elizabeth and out of respect for institutions.