Cairns-based Indigenous artist and tourism pioneer David Hudson has a unique perspective on the furore unfolding in the wake of the Queen's death.
He is a proud Ewamin-Western Yalanji man from Far North Queensland and strong advocate for Indigenous rights — and he has met the late Queen Elizabeth, her son King Charles and the next in line to succeed the throne, Prince William.
Mr Hudson believes the Queen failed to give Indigenous Australians the recognition they deserve, and hopes the new King will take a more reformative approach.
But flag burning at an anti-monarchy protest in Brisbane, coupled with negative comments about the Queen from some corners, do not sit well with him.
"I'm definitely not a monarchist," Mr Hudson said.
"I've got no reason to be a monarchist."
He argues it is possible to acknowledge the failings of the monarchy and the need for systemic change without disrespecting the Queen so soon after her passing.
"When someone dies, you've still got to respect who that person is, irrespective of who you are," he said.
"This is another human being that breathed life here.
"I don't accept that, to be rude to her and say good riddance to her."
'Painful' reminders
There has been plenty of criticism in recent days of the monarchy and its historical role in issues that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people still face.
Anti-monarchy protests across Australia on the day of mourning public holiday on Thursday put a very public face to the anger felt by many First Nations people.
Rallies were held in capital city streets, protesters doused the Union Jack in fake blood, and an Australian flag was burnt in the street in Brisbane.
Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney spoke in parliament on Friday about the complex emotions being felt by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
"For many Indigenous Australians, the legacy of the monarchy is fraught — a complex, difficult and painful reminder of the impact of colonisation," she said.
The Brisbane anti-monarchy protest where the Australian flag was publicly burnt was organised by Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance (WAR), a collective of young Aboriginal people committed to the cause of decolonisation.
Organiser Ruby Wharton, a Gomeroi-Kooma woman, said the monarchy maintained its relevance across the globe through the dispossession of native peoples.
"If [the Queen] wanted to be respected, she should have led a respectful life," she said.
"If she wanted to be treated with humility in the afterlife, she should have lived her life as a humble woman — but she did not."
Ms Wharton said the decision to burn the Australian flag at Thursday's protest was a considered one.
"Flag burning is something that we want to encourage because it brings forth expression, brings forth our rage, and it brings forth a dialogue that can happen," she said.
"Why are we talking about things like a Voice to Parliament and an Uluru Statement from the Heart when we're not even going to talk about the Queen's, or now the King's, sovereignty over the state?
"We will agitate, because we've been agitated — and we want this dialogue to happen."
The activist acknowledged her views were not representative of all Indigenous Australians, and that one homogenous standpoint did not exist.
"We don't pretend to speak for all of First Nations Australians," she said.
"There are over 500 tribes and 500 language groups."
Royal encounters
Mr Hudson has met several members of the royal family, including the late Queen one-on-one at the Diamond Jubilee pageant on the Thames River in London, 2012.
"I found her to be quite friendly, she was interested in who I was and where I came from," he said.
In 2002, he was present when Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip visited the Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park in Cairns when the late Duke of Edinburgh stirred up a media frenzy after asking performers if they still threw spears at each other.
Mr Hudson was one of the performers, and he said did not believe the comment was racist.
"I think the media just blew that up ridiculously," he says.
"Warren [Clements, a Tjapukai performer], he made a comment: 'Nah, only on Fridays.'"
Mr Hudson performed for King Charles – then still a prince – at the Centenary of the Battle of Villers-Bretonneux in France in 2018, and met William, Prince of Wales, during his 2011 royal visit to Cairns in the wake of Cyclone Yasi.
He said Charles came across as a "likeable bloke".
They joked about Mr Hudson’s middle name, also Charles, and the future King told him about an experience during a visit to Australia the previous year when another performer played the didgeridoo against his stomach.
Mr Hudson told him to get ready for round two, lifted his instrument, and sent the soundwaves directly towards his royal abdomen.
"He would have had his eyes closed for about 30 seconds," he recalls.
"He goes, wow, that's got to be one of the most soothing, healing things I've ever experienced."
A new opportunity
Mr Hudson said he could respect Queen Elizabeth after her death while still recognising she did not act during her life to give Indigenous Australians what he feels they needed.
Whether King Charles will take that extra step remains to be seen.
Mr Hudson holds hope the new monarch will have the courage and the desire to progress Indigenous recognition in Australia further than his mother ever did.
"He's in an era now where there is understanding of who we are, and let's hope that … we can move forward," Mr Hudson said.
"Australia is the only country in the Commonwealth that doesn't have a treaty.
"These are things that King Charles III can look at now in more depth, and take on the role that his mother couldn't do.
"Realistically, we can't move ahead without them recognising … that there is an acknowledgement that we were dispossessed from this country of ours."
