What type of welcome will King Charles and Queen Camilla receive in Australia?

ITV News Royal Editor Chris Ship explains why King Charles's historic visit to Australia has been dubbed the "awkward tour"

The three and a half days that King Charles and Queen Camilla will spend in Australia does seem - at first glance - very short.

Short when you consider how long it takes to get here. Short when you realise Australia has not had a visit from its head of state since 2011.

And short when you compare it to the 58 days King Charles’ mother, Queen Elizabeth II, spent here in 1954, becoming the first Australian monarch ever to come to the country.

But earlier this year, many thought this visit would not happen at all following the announcement by Buckingham Palace that the King was undergoing treatment for cancer and had to to withdraw from public duties.

His doctors permitted him to fly halfway around the world only if the King cancelled the New Zealand leg of the tour and reduced the number and length of days he spent there.

It’s with that spirit of understanding and sympathy that many Australians will welcome their King and Queen when they land in Sydney on Friday.

Despite some predictions that the popularity of the monarchy in Australia would dive after the passing of the late Queen, some polls suggest that monarchy is even more popular there under King Charles’ reign compared his mother's.

It still surprises many people that King Charles, like Queen Elizabeth before him, remains the head of state of 14 realms outside the United Kingdom in countries as far apart as New Zealand, Jamaica, Belize, Canada and, of course, Australia.

Having watched the debate in the Australian media this week, days before their (short) Royal Tour, you’d have to conclude the issue of monarchy is not at the top of most people’s priority lists.

Yes, the Australian Republic Movement did launch a new campaign attempting to rebrand this visit as the “Monarchy: the Farewell Oz Tour”.

And a number of politicians, the Premiers of Australia’s various states and territories, have all decided not to attend a reception with the King in the capital, Canberra, on Monday.

But even the Republic-supporting Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, has no appetite for a referendum on the monarchy. No matter what he might have planned at the start of his term in office.

Having lost a referendum on Indigenous rights last year, the Labor government has kicked into the very long grass any plans it had for a nationwide public vote on Australia’s head of state.

Politicians admit their voters are more concerned about the lack of affordable housing and the cost of living crisis.

And the TV news bulletins this week were very keen to debate their Prime Minister’s recent purchase of a £2.1 million pound luxury home overlooking the ocean, rather than who should be the head of state.

The Deputy Premier of New South Wales, the state which is hosting the King and Queen for most of their visit, explained to ITV News that she still supports a Republic but doesn’t think “there will be a referendum any time soon in Australia”.

“As a Labor government, we are all Republicans”, Prue Car said, “But we are also looking forward to welcoming the King. Why wouldn’t we want to show off our beautiful city?”

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But for some Australians, it remains an issue that their head of state is not Australian, is not elected, was born in the UK and lives in London.

Some of these issues are more significant for younger voters, who have a weaker connection to the country that first brought settlers here.

But despite the convoy of the First Fleet arriving at Botany Bay and Sydney Harbour in 1788, no monarch came to Australia until 1954.

Charles has been here many times before of course, as the Prince of Wales, so there will not be the same frenzy of excitement for his visit as there was for his mother 70 years ago.

But over the next few days, King Charles and Queen Camilla will experience for themselves the strength of the Republic debate and what impact it will have, if any, on their historic visit to Australia.

This is the Talking Royals - our weekly podcast about the royal family, with ITV News Royal Editor Chris Ship and Producer Lizzie Robinson