AP, Brisbane :
Prince Charles and his wife Camilla have landed under a gray sky that threatened rain in Brisbane city on the heir to the British throne’s 16th visit to Australia.
The visit starting Wednesday equals his mother Queens Elizabeth II’s tally of 16 royal tours of the former British colony and comes as the monarch winds back her international travel commitments.
Her eldest child arrived in Australia while the country’s relationships with Britain and its monarchy are under renewed scrutiny.
For the first time in Australian history, both the prime minister and the opposition leader agree that the British monarch should be replaced by an Australian citizen as the Australian head of state.
Charles will represent his mother at the opening of the Commonwealth Games in neighboring Gold Coast city Wednesday.
