Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese officially named a small island in the city of Canberra after Queen Elizabeth II on Saturday. That happened in honor of its platinum anniversary.
Elizabeth will be on the throne for 70 years this year. Aspen Island in the Australian capital is now officially called Queen Elizabeth II Island.
The man-made island opened in 1963 and was then renamed Aspen Island, after the aspen tree.
The name change is “a symbol of the kinship between the UK and Australia. Today we celebrate her long life and 70 years of service to Australia and the Commonwealth, with no fewer than 16 visits to our nation,” Albanian said at the ceremony.
Prime Minister emphasizes relationship between the two countries
Earlier this week, the Prime Minister emphasized that Australia’s relationship with the monarchy has matured. That statement sparked debate about whether Australia should become a republic.
That discussion took on a new dimension on Tuesday when Albanian appointed the first “assistant minister for the Republic” within his ministry. The debate over whether the nation should become a republic has been raging in Australia for decades.