The drawing – which depicted the King beheaded alongside his crown – was shared by a staff member without her knowledge, the senator said.
“I deleted it as soon as I saw. I would not intentionally share anything that could be seen to encourage violence against anyone.”
The image, which has drawn condemnation, adds to heavy scrutiny of her actions on Monday.
Aunty Violet Sheridan, an Aboriginal elder who formally welcomed the King and Queen Camilla to Ngunnawal country, told the Guardian Australia: “Lidia Thorpe does not speak for me and my people, and I’m sure she doesn’t speak for a lot of First Nations people.”
Nova Peris – a former senator who was the first Aboriginal woman in parliament and is a long-time republican – also called Thorpe’s actions “embarrassing and disappointing”.
“Australia is moving forward in its journey of reconciliation… as hard as that journey is, it requires respectful dialogue, mutual understanding, and a shared commitment to healing – not divisive actions that draw attention away from the progress we are making as a country,” she wrote on X.
However, other prominent Indigenous activists have lauded Thorpe’s stand.
Vanessa Turnbull-Roberts, a Bundjalung lawyer and author, said there was “nothing more harmful or disrespectful” than inviting the monarchy to tour the country in the first place, given its history.
“When Thorpe speaks, she’s got the ancestors right with her.”
