Former Greens Senator Lidia Thorpe slammed as 'a disgrace' to Australia after 'egregiously' flipping off Buckingham Palace in provocative social media post
Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe has caused fresh controversy after sharing photos of herself making a rude gesture outside Buckingham Palace.
The 51-year-old former Greens senator posted several images to social media on Friday showing her standing outside the gates of the royal residence, holding the Aboriginal flag and raising her middle finger.
She also wore a "Blak Sovereign Movement" T-shirt.
"Dropped by to collect all the stuff this lot stole, but Charlie wasn't in," she captioned the post.
It's understood Thorpe, a proud Gunnai, Gunditjmara and Djab Wurrung woman, was in London this week to attend a conference.
Her post quickly drew mixed reactions, with some critics questioning whether her trip was taxpayer-funded.
"Who paid for your trip?" one user asked, while another wrote: "Do you know you don't speak for Australia. We actually can't stand you, I personally look forward to your term ending in the Senate!"
Others praised Thorpe's actions, calling her "Queen" and applauding the gesture.
"The only Queen I'll ever recognise!" one user commented.
On Sunday, the stunt was blasted by News Corp columnist and Sky News contributor Angela Mollard during The Royal Report.
"She's in England at the moment, she's gone to Buckingham Palace, and outside of it, she's held up a flag, and she's egregiously put up the middle finger to the King," Mollard told host Caroline Di Russo.
"She is a disgrace to this country, honestly."
Mollard said she had "done a deep dive" to determine whether the Melbourne-based politician was in the UK on any official business.
"Of course she has the right, like anybody has, for freedom of speech," she said.
"But if she's there for any meeting, any tax-paid funded part of that trip- I'm presuming it's a private trip- then she needs to be hauled over the coals for this."
Mollard also referenced Thorpe's previous clash with King Charles III during his visit to Australia with Queen Camilla last year, when Thorpe interrupted a reception at Parliament House, shouting: "You are not our king. You are not sovereign."
Just moments before, the 76-year-old monarch had delivered a speech praising Australia.
Thorpe was removed from the event by security and later censured by the Australian parliament in a 46 to 12 vote condemning her conduct as "disruptive and disrespectful".
Reflecting on that moment, Mollard said: "Last year when that happened in parliament, I was on air all day in the UK doing television and radio crosses because the Northern Hemisphere could not believe we would have someone of that note in a public setting like that screaming at the King."
She added that Thorpe's latest stunt may only strengthen public support for the royal family.
"So every time she does something like this, it drives the populous to think, 'Well, she's nuts, and actually, we quite like the royal family'- they do lots of service, King Charles has been there for 76 years, he's coping with cancer and he still turns up for multiple things during the week.
"She's the one who looks silly."
Di Russo added that the "wild irony" was that Thorpe had to pledge allegiance to the King in order to become a senator.
SkyNews.com.au has contacted Senator Thorpe for further comment.
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