The iconic statue of Queen Victoria in Sydney’s city center was defaced with red paint just hours before King Charles and Queen Camilla were due to tour the city.

The royal couple plans to meet the public outside the Sydney Opera House, not far from the defaced statue.

Following the incident, police cordoned off the area around the statue, located near the Queen Victoria Building in the central business district.

It comes just a day after the King and Queen were verbally attacked by Aboriginal Australian senator Lydia Thorpe at Parliament House in Canberra.

Despite the unpleasant incidents, the royal couple vowed to continue their visit to Australia “unafraid.” The scenes drew widespread condemnation across the political landscape.

Senator Thorpe, dressed in local dress and waving a document, burst onto the stage in front of stunned MPs and guests, shouting: “You are not my king.” As guards rushed to take her out, she screamed: “You have committed genocide against our people. Give us back our land, give us back what you stole from us. Our bones, our skulls, our children, our people.” land, give us a treaty, we want a treaty in the country, you are a genocidalist. (sic)”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, a prominent republican, called Senator Thorpe’s actions “disrespectful” and below the expected standard for MPs.

On Tuesday, the royal couple will visit the National Indigenous Center of Excellence in Sydney, an event that was planned months before their last full day in Australia.

Sources close to the palace said the king and queen enjoyed their time in Australia, where the monarch took a break from cancer treatment to travel. Aunty Violet Sheridan, a respected Ngunnawal elder who officially welcomed Charles and Camilla to her ancestral lands at Parliament House, expressed disappointment at the senator’s actions. She said: “We are all very disappointed by this. Having this in the Great Hall is disgusting.

“I’m so upset for her. He had waited so long to become king, he had been rehearsing for this his whole life.

“He is our king, our sovereign, and he has cancer.”

A palace source said: “The King and Queen were deeply moved by what they saw and heard from the many thousands of people who traveled to Sydney and Canberra to see them.

“The warmth and scale of the reception was truly amazing.”

NSW Police said: “Police were called to the Queen Victoria Building on Market Street in the Sydney CBD at around 5.30am today (Tuesday 22 October 2024) following reports of vandalism to the statue.

“Officers attached to the City of Sydney Police Department established a crime scene and an investigation has commenced. As inquiries continue, anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.”