A Liberal frontbencher has lashed out at Australian officials who questioned why embattled soldier Ben Roberts-Smith was invited to Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral – describing the saga as a disgrace.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is taking a group of dignitaries, VIPs and ‘everyday’ Australians on his jet to London to attend the funeral of Her Majesty next Monday at Westminister Abbey.
But that invitation wasn’t extended to Mr Roberts-Smith or other Victoria Cross recipients – with the controversial digger spotted at Brisbane International Airport on Thursday boarding a commercial flight to London.
Shadow defence minister Phillip Thompson slammed Australian embassy staff who questioned Mr Roberts-Smith’s invitation to the funeral, briefing media that they expected he would turn it down.
Mr Thompson, an ex-soldier himself, called for them to be sacked – and said the trooper should’ve been taken to the UK on the PM’s RAFF aircraft, which left Sydney on Thursday night.
Ben Roberts-Smith was pictured at Brisbane Airport on Thursday making his own way to London ahead of the Queen’s funeral next week
‘All Victoria Cross recipients have been personally invited at the request of Her Majesty,’ he wrote on a private Instagram page dedicated to supporting Mr Roberts-Smith.
‘They all should have flown on (Anthony Albanese’s) plane. A fundamental pillar of democracy is presumption of innocence.
‘That hasn’t occurred for Ben or any of our soldiers, it’s been trial and conviction by the media. It’s disgusting.
‘The consulate staff who made that comment about Ben attending should be sacked.’
He called on the prime minister to intervene, investigate and remove consulate staff involved from their positions as ‘they do not uphold Australian values.’
‘They cowardly hide behind ‘consulate official’ in the paper and don’t have the fortitude to put their names to the comment,’ Mr Thompson continued.
‘It’s clear they don’t believe in the rule of law and presumption of innocence, therefore should not be representing Australia at the High Commission in the UK.’
Mr Thompson himself was previously a soldier in the Townsville-based First Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment and served in Afghanistan prior to entering politics.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is taking a group of dignitaries, VIPs and ‘everyday’ Australians on his private jet to London. He’s pictured on the plane with partner Jodie before taking off from Sydney on Monday night
All Victoria Cross recipients including Ben Roberts-Smith were personally invited to the Queen’s funeral. He’s pictured with the Queen at Buckingham Palace in 2011
Mr Roberts-Smith, 43, and Afghanistan veterans Mark Donaldson and Daniel Keighran, and Vietnam veteran Keith Payne were invited separately by the Victoria Cross and George Cross Association.
The Queen was patron of the association since it began in 1956, and asked before her death that all living members be invited to her funeral.
As they were invited separately to Mr Albanese’s entourage, they must make their own way to London.
However the Defence Department has said the federal government would cover the cost of their flights ‘upon request’.
Australian High Commission officials in London reportedly expected Mr Roberts-Smith would decline to attend while dogged by accusations of war crimes and a high-profile trial and were reportedly concerned that he will be there.
Mr Roberts- Smith is suing Nine Entertainment publications The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Canberra Times for defamation over a series of articles that alleged he engaged in unlawful behavior in Afghanistan.
Mr Roberts-Smith has never been charged with any offence relating to his conduct while serving.
Shadow defence minister and former soldier Phillip Thompson (pictured with his family) has slammed consulate staff who questioned Ben Roberts-Smith’s invitation to the Queen’s funeral
The Liberal MP claimed consulate staff who have questioned Ben Roberts-Smith’s attendance at the Queen’s funeral don’t uphold Australian values
Ms Roberts-Smith expressed deep sadness at the Queen’s passing in a statement earlier this week.
‘I had an immense respect for her and she was someone I admired greatly,’ he said.
‘In every interaction I had with the Queen she was warm, insightful and engaging. She was a magnificent monarch, a stoic leader, and importantly just a lovely lady.
‘I feel extremely honoured to be fortunate enough to pay my respects to the Queen and humbled that she saw fit to include the Victoria Cross recipients in her funeral procession.’
Prime Minister Mr Albanese, joined by his partner Jodie Haydon was the first world leader to set off for the Queen’s funeral from Sydney on Thursday night.
He was joined by ‘everyday Australians’ extended an invitation, including Australian of the Year Dylan Alcott and horse trainer Gai Waterhouse.
Senior Australian of the Years Valmai Dempsy and Dr Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr Baumann, Local Heroes Shanna Whan, Saba Abraham, and Kim Smith, Young Australian of the Year Trudy Lin, Western Australian of the Year Helen Milroy, and i4give founder Danny Abdallah were also invited.
Around 500 dignitaries and heads of state are expected to attend Monday’s historic event in the centre of London.
Anthony Albanese is taking a group of dignitaries, VIPs and ‘everyday’ Australians on a private jet to London for the Queen’s funeral. Pictured are invitees boarding the plane Thursday night
Awkward moment embattled war hero Ben Roberts-Smith flies commercial to London for the Queen’s funeral – rather than on Albo’s VIP jet with handpicked ‘everyday Aussies’
Controversial soldier Ben Roberts-Smith has flown commercial to The Queen’s funeral in London, rather than accompanying Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on his VIP jet.
The Victoria Cross recipient left Brisbane for London on Thursday morning after both he and the three other Australian recipients of the country’s highest honour were invited to The Queen’s funeral.
Mr Albanese separately extended invitations to 10 ‘everyday citizens’ who were invited by Buckingham Palace to attend the September 19 service – including horse trainers Gai Waterhouse and Chris Waller, and Australian of the Year Dylan Alcott.
That group will also be flying to the UK on Mr Albanese’s jet on Thursday.
Mr Roberts-Smith, 43, and three other living Australian Victoria Cross recipients were invited separately by the Victoria Cross and George Cross Association
Mr Roberts-Smith, 43, and other Australian Victoria Cross recipients were invited separately by the Victoria Cross and George Cross Association.
The Queen was patron of the association since it began in 1956, and asked before her death that all living members be invited to her funeral.
Afghanistan veterans Mark Donaldson and Daniel Keighran and Vietnam veteran Keith Payne are the other three Australian war heroes invited.
As they were invited separately to Mr Albanese’s entourage they must make their own way to London, but the Defence Department said the government would cover the cost of their flights ‘upon request’.
Mr Donaldson will represent the quartet in an order of chivalry procession on the day of the funeral and sit in the knave of Westminster Abbey for the funeral.
The other three, including Mr Roberts-Smith, will sit elsewhere in the church farther away from proceedings. All are invited to see The Queen lying in state.
Mr Robert-Smith being invited, as a Victoria Cross recipient, was uncontroversial but some Australian diplomates were reportedly annoyed he accepted it.
This is despite him declining being possibly seen as failing to honour The Queen’s wishes in extending the invitation.
Australian High Commission officials in London expected he would decline to attend while dogged by accusations of war crimes and a high-profile trial, and are concerned that he will be there.
As they were invited separately to Mr Albanese’s entourage they must make their own way to London, but the government will cover the cost of their flights ‘upon request’
His invitation has also been met with outrage from some reporters at Nine, despite it being automatic due to his medal.
Mr Roberts-Smith is awaiting judgement on a defamation case against Nine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and The Age after he sued them for a series of reports accusing him of murdering Taliban prisoners in Afghanistan, which he strongly denies.
Dressed in brown boots, jeans and a grey jacket, the towering ex-corporal walked alone with several bags before checking in and proceeding through security
Dressed in brown boots, jeans and a grey jacket, the towering retired corporal walked alone with several bags before checking in and proceeding through security.
He described the late Monarch as ‘magnificent’, adding that she was ‘stoic leader’ and ‘a lovely lady’.
‘I had an immense respect for her and she was someone I admired greatly. In every interaction I had with The Queen she was warm, insightful and engaging,’ he said.
‘She was a magnificent monarch, a stoic leader, and importantly just a lovely lady. I feel extremely honoured to be fortunate enough to pay my respects to The Queen and humbled that she saw fit to include the Victoria Cross recipients in her funeral procession.’
The decorated digger said it was a ‘surreal’ experience and that he was ‘taken aback’ by her ‘kindness’ and ‘intelligence’ when he met Her Majesty in 2011 to be awarded his medal.
‘She sort of dropped her handbag on the double-seated couch and pointed for me to sit down, and I assumed that she would sit opposite me,’ he recalled to the West Australian.
‘But she sat right next to me and grabbed my arm and started talking to me about just having just flown back from the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting at that time.’
Australian High Commission officials didn’t believe Mr Roberts-Smith was going to attend the funeral and are uneasy about his presence given his court battle
Mr Roberts-Smith is awaiting judgement on a defamation case against Nine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and The Age after he sued them for a series of reports accusing him of murdering Taliban prisoners in Afghanistan, which he strongly denies
The Age, Sydney Morning Herald and 60 Minutes journalist Nick McKenzie marked the occasion by tweeting that Mr Roberts-Smith has been the ‘subject of multiple… alleged war crimes investigations by the Australian Federal Police.’
No charges have ever been laid against Roberts-Smith.
Proceedings in the Federal Court case ended on July 27 after more than 100 days of hearings.
Other Australians invited on Mr Albanese’s jet include 2022 and 2021 Senior Australian of the Year Valmai Dempsy and Dr Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr Baumann AM, 2022 Australian of the Year Local Hero Shanna Whan, 2022 Queensland Local Hero Saba Abraham, and Tasmanian Local Hero Kim Smith APM.
Trudy Lin, Young Australian of the Year, from South Australia, and Western Australia’s 2021 Australian of the Year Professor Helen Milroy will also be part of the delegation.
Danny Abdallah – who stunned Australia by forgiving a drunk and drug-addled driver who fatally ploughed into his three children and their cousin them 2020 – will also fly with the group on the PM’s plane.
Mr Roberts-Smith casts a constroversial figure after a series of allegations following his rise to prominence after receiving the Victoria Cross
The towering ex-corporal walks through Brisbane International Airport on Thursday morning
Mr Albanese also offered a space on his flight to Gai and Robert Waterhouse, champion racing figures who had a personal relationship with The Queen.
Mr Waterhouse told the Sydney Morning Herald it was ‘very gracious’ of the PM to invite them aboard the VIP jet.
‘We have known the Queen and the Queen Mother for a long time, since Gai trained Clarence House for the Queen Mother, and we have had a long-standing relationship with them,’ he said.
‘Gai also trained Carlton House and Bold Sniper for the Queen, and we have had the privilege of taking afternoon tea with the Queen and her mother at Royal Ascot and others on a number of occasions. They were remarkable people.
‘It is a very sad occasion, but we were very pleased to be commanded by the Lord Chamberlain to her majesty’s committal. It was very gracious of the prime minister to invite us to travel on his plane.’
Also on Mr Albanese’s plane are leaders of Pacific Islands nations whom the PM said could hitch a ride with him to save their small countries the expense.
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