Australia’s Victorian Court of Appeal has rejected an attempt by Aboriginal activist Robbie Thorpe to privately prosecute King Charles over the alleged genocide of Australia’s First Nations people.

Thorpe argued that British colonisation of Australia amounted to genocide and crimes against humanity, and sought to bring a private criminal case against the monarch. The court dismissed his appeal application on September 28, 2026, ending the bid to put the King on trial in an Australian court.

The decision closes a long-running legal campaign by Thorpe, who has spent years pressing the case through Australia’s courts. His supporters argue the ruling shows Australia remains unwilling to reckon with its colonial past, while the court found the prosecution could not proceed.

The judgment is unlikely to settle the broader debate. Aboriginal land rights and the legacy of British settlement remain among the most contested issues in Australian public life, and Thorpe’s campaign has drawn attention far beyond the country’s borders.