Among the thousand plus well-wishers gathered to greet King Charles and Queen Camilla at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra on Monday was Hephner, a nine-year old alpaca in a suit with a crown perched atop his fluffy white head.

At a Parliament reception to welcome the British monarch, Lidia Thorpe shouted at Charles that he was not her king and should “give us our land back.”

In this fracturing world where the ability of politicians to command mainstream attention is in decline — the events of this week have been a good demonstration of what works.