Coronation reminds us Crown and its representatives are about service, not self-promotion

By being apart from politics, the Crown delivers leaders who are about service, not self-promotion.

Queen Elizabeth II after her 1953 coronation. During her reign, the Crown in Australia took on an Australian look and feel in keeping with the fiercely independent nation we have become. Picture: Hulton Archive/Getty Images

At some point, most elected officials find themselves wrestling with the yin and yang of politics – power and service. The question “What must I do to keep power?” is sometimes at odds with the question “What good shall I do for others?”. The achievement of power and the purpose of power have often been at odds, even more so now in this highly partisan and political world.

If any institution has wrestled with this question about power and service, and come to a reckoning, it is the monarchy.

Across almost 1000 years, the monarchy has evolved from an institution of absolute power and the tyranny that inevitably accompanies such power to one that seeks to serve according to law.

The King’s opening words at the coronation on Saturday night AEST – “I come not to be served but to serve” – though a reflection of Queen Elizabeth’s ethos, are a world away from where monarchy started.

On coronation day we should reflect on the impact of the monarchy on Australia and the world.

Noel Pearson has rightly said the modern Australian story is one of three intertwining strands. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Martin Ollman

Noel Pearson has rightly said the modern Australian story is one of three intertwining strands: an Indigenous heritage, a British foundation and a multicultural character. It is these strands that together have produced a free and independent people who are diverse, accepting and embody our democratic ideals.

The British foundation provided Australia and many of the world’s great democracies with the building blocks of our freedom: parliamentary democracy, an independent judiciary, equality before the law, respect for property rights, free press and free speech.

This foundation, finessed generation on generation, became a system of government that is grounded in service to people rather than propagating their subjugation. This is at odds with much of human history and indeed much of the world today, where power is only subject to power.

Indeed, the King’s coronation oath to be given on Saturday night is a pledge to the citizenry to govern in accordance with our laws and customs.

For all the talk by republicans this week about pledges of allegiance, it has been overlooked that it is King Charles who is swearing his allegiance to our representative and responsible system of government.

A portrait of a young Elizabeth II for her coronation in 1953. Picture: Getty Images

King Charles III reflects his mother’s ethos. Picture: Yui Mok.WPA Pool/Getty Images

As the world itself has changed, so too has the monarchy. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, the Crown in Australia has taken on an Australian look and feel in keeping with the fiercely independent nation we have become.

Though a few republicans keep shouting at the wind about having “a mate as the head of state”, we see the Crown’s work of community, service and unity undertaken every day by the Governor-General and state governors.

Those Australian representatives of the Crown know they are acting with no mandate but must perform their duties in accordance with the traditions of the Crown, bringing honour to the institution. Their work is quiet but deeply affirming of what’s good in communities across Australia.

The Crown provides leadership above politics.

By being fiercely nonpartisan, it can provide leadership beyond politics – and because of this it can be ahead of politics, too.

After the death of Queen Elizabeth, Pat Dodson reflected on being invited with a group of Indigenous leaders to meet her at Buckingham Palace in the late 1990s. “I think for the first time in our lives, we were treated properly,” he said.

Aboriginal leaders Pat Dodson and Lowitja O'Donoghue walk by the gates of Buckingham Palace, London, after meeting the Queen in 1999.

For a half-century, King Charles has championed sustainability and environmentalism. He has always seen the environment through a long-term intergenerational frame. When he started championing such beliefs he was derided; now his leadership is deeply respected.

In that same spirit, Princess Diana reduced stigma around HIV and championed the removal of landmines, and Prince William has spoken openly about grief and championed the cause of better mental health policy.

Our own governors-general and governors have left their own mark. Sir Peter Cosgrove is a national hero. In my own state, former NSW governor Dame Marie Bashir became one of our most loved public figures.

Elsewhere, governors such as Hieu Van Le, Linda Dessau and Sir Douglas Nicholls became deeply admired leaders.

By being apart from politics, the Crown delivers through the governor-general and governors a different type of national leader. Mostly, I don’t think these people would submit themselves for an election however chosen, or indeed win one.

That’s because they are about service, not self-promotion.

This is in contrast with the republican model that wants these roles to be elected.

Naturally, once you have elections, you get politicians, and for Australia that would mean a new unwelcome front in the ongoing culture wars. It would mean replacing an office of unity with that of a political candidate.

Nationally, my hope is that the office of governor-general as the representative of the Crown will continue its evolution reflecting the breadth of Australia.

My hope is the next governor-general appointed will be an Indigenous person committed to the Crown – and with a pool of past and present Indigenous ministers, judges and national leaders, this would mark another step in our national journey.

Though the Crown has changed with the times, on Saturday night we will be reminded that it also embodies values that are timeless. Unlike almost all state events, the coronation is a religious service. The welcoming of the King by the representatives of different faiths, followed by a Christian service, is not an affirmation of one religion over another but a commitment of heart and soul from the King to all citizens. Indeed, the King’s Prayer is to be “a blessing to people of every faith and conviction”.

The prayer is a reminder that in a time of acrimony, partisanship and division, the role of the Crown here and abroad is to affirm our unity, our shared story and a representative and responsible government of laws.

To this end, I hope the Crown under King Charles continues to provide the leadership beyond politics that Australia and the Commonwealth needs.

Julian Leeser is the Liberal member for Berowra.