Towards the end of the last century, Queen Victoria, under the name of the Countess of Lancaster, was rumoured to have arrived clandestinely in Australia in 1891. The popular rumour had it that she was about to be kicked out of England and would become Queen of Australia, in the style of the Emperor of Brazil after he lost the throne of Portugal.
Newspaper publisher John Norton and many others quickly roused the population to declare Australia a republic before any such coup could take place. In the middle of the ferment, Norton himself climbed Queen Victoria's statue in Sydney and assailed the Monarch as "flabby, flat, and flatulent", and her son the Prince of Wales as a "turf-swindling, card-sharping, wife-debauching rascal."
Later on, the British Royal Family sent out Bertie, Victoria's son, to Australia. Officially he was sent out as Governor General. But in truth he was sent here to dry out and improve his terrible gout. Unfortunately Dirty Bertie (as he was known) got into bad company, as usual, and hung out at the Bourbon & Beefsteak. The then owner, Alfred Houghton, refused Bertie entry due to his parlous state and uttered the words that were to rename the entire area: "I don't care if the King's cross."
Today of course things are different, the world's royal families, loved by the local population, all own properties in Australia.
Princess Anne, for example, has a lovely home in Marrickville, New South Wales, where she lives in great style with a maid and a pool cleaner on those rare occasions when she visits her hideaway home.
The Danish royal family have a bungalow in Hobart, Tasmania. (The climate suits them).
Prince Rainier of Monaco owns an apartment at the Grand Mariner on the Gold Coast, Queensland. His children Grace and Grace junior often use the unit for parties or just enjoy the sunshine of the Gold Coast.
Queen Marie of Romania had her ashes scattered at the Connaught in Sydney. Reportedly she had said it reminded her of Cimitirul Belu in old Bucharest.
Lion King' daughter, Esmee Selasie, has a boarding house near Sir Donald Bradman's home in Bowral.
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