Royal fever has been sweeping Australia as Britain?s Prince Charles and Denmark?s Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary criss-cross the continent this week ? and republicans and monarchists could not be happier.

The visits have revived the debate over whether Australia should break away from the British monarchy and become a republic and both groups are claiming a boost in support for their causes. Support for both causes has been evident throughout Charles tour with well-wishers at some events breaking into song with ?God Save the Queen?, while a man wearing a republican t-shirt was arrested in Perth for swearing at monarchists.

Australia remains a constitutional monarchy 216 years after British settlers first arrived, with Britain?s Queen Elizabeth II its head-of-state and represented by a governor-general. The issue of whether to dump the British monarchy has been simmering since a vote in 1999 narrowly rejected a republic because many Australians want a popularly elected president, not one appointed by parliament as proposed in the national vote.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard, an avowed monarchist, says he sees no need for another national vote on the republic issue in the forseable future. Howard says Australians are not interested in the republic issue and media coverage of the royal tours has reflected that, with little newspaper space given to Charles compared with pages dedicated to Mary, who is being treated like a movie star.

Yesterday photographs of Mary at a Sydney charity ball overshadowed photographs of Charles peeping from the door of an outback ?dunny? or toilet. Sydney?s The Daily Telegraph headline read ?Hail Mary? and its editorial suggested jokingly that the Danish royals become Australia?s next heads of state.

<B>Glamour vs outback ?dunny?</B>

David Flint, head of Australians for a Constitutional Monarchy, said that although Charles popularity was waning, Crown Princess Mary ? an Australian who married into the Danish royal family in May last year ? demonstrated the magic of monarchy. ?She?s attractive, she?s young and it?s her first visit to Australia as a princess. I think that has also very much assisted the monarchal cause. There is a magic in monarchy, which you don?t have in a republic,? Flint told Reuters.

However, republicans claim the hype surrounding home-grown royal Mary, whose fairytale romance with Frederik began in a Sydney bar during the 2000 Olympics, has actually increased support for a republic with an Australian head-of-state. ?It does really play into the republican case that she?s one of us and we?re more excited about her because of that,? Australian Republican Movement Chairman John Warhurst told Reuters. ?I?m sure Charles wishes he wasn?t here at the same time.?

An opinion poll published in The Sunday Telegraph newspaper last weekend showed a surge in support for a republic. About 57 percent of Australians said they would prefer to dump the monarchy rather than see Charles as king with divorcee Camilla Parker-Bowles ? who he is due to marry on April 8 ? as his wife, while 28 percent wanted to retain the monarchy.

?The poll showed we are much more republican when you talk about Charles as the future king than when you talk about Queen Elizabeth, which I think is a residual respect and affection,? Warhurst said. Charles popularity at home has suffered since his recent engagement with royal-watchers aghast at increasingly farcical preparations for his wedding, with the venue for the civil ceremony switched to a local town hall and Queen Elizabeth saying she will not attend.

But the recent opinion poll and decling popularity of Charles does not concern Flint, who is confident Australians will not have to vote again on the republic issue for quite some time. ?I don?t think Australians are lying awake at night wanting to change the constitution,? Flint said. ?There?s no interest in the general public for constitutional change, there?s a small and declining minority ? the republican movement is losing numbers.?

<B>Michelle NICHOLS</B>