‘Not My King’: Anti-monarchist Voices Rise in the UK Ahead of the Coronation Amid Government Complicity

Millions of British voters await the coronation ceremony of King Charles III, which is scheduled in less than two weeks, which will give them a long weekend, from 6 to 9 May, besides many local celebrations specific to each neighborhood of the kingdom.

But at the same time, there are a few thousand Britons who are opposed to the monarchy preparing to demonstrate in the opposite end square in central London and in other areas such as Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Cardiff, raising the slogan “Not My King,” which indicates that King Charles III naturally inherited the throne and was not elected.

The Republic Group, an anti-monarchy group led by activist Graham Smith, believes that hereditary public office is contrary to every democratic principle, and therefore wants to eventually abolish the anti-monarchy. They see Charles as just a man in a suit who spends a lot of taxpayer money.

Social media also witnessed similar calls under the hashtag #NotMyKing, as well as widespread criticism of how taxpayers’ money was spent on the coronation of King Charles III. They contemptuously point out that the UK government has set aside £8 million to provide a free portrait to every public body of King Charles.

Social media activists also highlighted the tax-exempt inheritance of King Charles, which amounts to £650m, noting that he receives £350m annually from taxpayers’ money, and has a property worth £22 billion that was never taxed, in a veiled reference to the UK government’s complicity with the royal family.

 

Anti-Monarchy Group

“Not My King” is a new slogan launched by an anti-monarchy group in the United Kingdom, to be raised during demonstrations, coinciding with the coronation day of King Charles III in major cities in the Kingdom, in order to disrupt the coronation procedures.

According to what was reported by the Daily Mail on April 18, 2023, the demonstrators, on their website, called on thousands to wear yellow shirts and carry signs with the words “Not My King,” as well as gathering in London’s Trafalgar Square from 6 am, before moving to the procession route between Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey later that morning.

Anti-coronation protests are being planned across the UK. In Cardiff, Not My King members plan a rally for the Republic of Wales.

Groups advocating the abolition of the monarchy and replacing it with a presidential system led by an elected president, led by the Republic group, plan to demonstrate along the Coronation Corridor route.

In turn, CEO of the Republic Group, the largest anti-monarchy group in Britain, Graham Smith, 48, pledged to chant during the coronation procession of King Charles III on May 6, in disturbing terms during protests and demonstrations, saying: 1350 people have pledged to do it so far; and it will represent, in his opinion, the group’s largest protest action since its founding 40 years ago.

However, Smith indicated that what they decide to do will not bear any character similar to riotous demonstrations, for example, or disturb the authorities in Britain or other European countries, as is done by the Extinction Rebellion groups.

Smith believes that the death of Queen Elizabeth II last summer changed the feelings of many Britons toward the crown. As for them, the monarchy was the queen, and therefore they lost the reasons for their support with her departure.

Likewise, the Queen was untouchable throughout her seven-decade reign, but her son, King Charles III, is not, according to Smith, who believes that the king’s popularity is 20 points less than his mother’s, according to polls.

Opinion polls indicate that the elderly Britons, in addition to the young, are less convinced that the monarchy will continue in their country over the next hundred years.

Statistics also indicate that the percentage of people who believe in the importance of the royal family has decreased a lot, compared to what it was in 1952 when Queen Elizabeth ascended the throne.

Another census conducted last summer by YouGov revealed that 41% of people between the ages of 18 and 24 look forward to an elected president, compared to 31% who support the continuation of the monarchy, which is a shocking number compared to what was revealed by the same poll two years ago, which showed that 46% of young people support the monarchy, compared to only 26% who oppose it.

Smith also points out that nearly seven million people oppose the British monarchy today, and that enthusiasm for the royal family decreases significantly, adding that their work is currently focused on the large segment that stands in the middle and that the royal family does not care about and is not interested in its news as the Republic group is trying to lure it from the area of indifference to the area of action to demand the replacement of the king with an elected and democratic head of state.

 

The Royal family

Although the coronation is not necessary and there is no other monarchy in the world that holds a similar event, it has been considered a major event in the UK over time.

The celebrations that accompanied the proclamation of Charles III as an official king last September were accompanied by small and sporadic demonstrations, and with a large security presence and arrests.

A few days ago, a 100-hour unpaid work sentence was issued against a 23-year-old British youth, who was among the demonstrators against King Charles in the York region and threw eggs at him, which raises some questions and fears about the demonstration scheduled for May 6, which may in turn spark riots or violent reactions by the security forces.

However, Smith rules this out and states that his group has contacted the police and that all demonstrations will be peaceful, and therefore no such problems will occur, pointing out that his group will carry out more prolific activities over the next few months.

About what the Republican group has achieved since its founding more than 4 decades ago, Smith says that it started as a very small group, but it expanded during the past fifteen years, as it held many large events and organized campaigns around family weddings and around the Golden and Platinum Jubilees.

Smith believes that the political and social climate has changed a lot in the past ten years, and that many events have contributed to changing the general mood toward the crown, including austerity, financial cuts, higher taxes, the cost of living, and the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as many files such as the situation of minorities, injustice to which blacks are subjected, colonialism, racism, and others.

He points out that economic crises in particular have negatively affected the idea of ownership. The royal family today, more than ever, symbolizes inequality in the distribution of wealth and social injustice.

Since Queen Elizabeth II was untouchable, the financial issues related to her wealth and property and what she inherited or inherited were not common in the British media, with some exceptions.

However, King Charles III opened the appetite of the media during the past few months, and before he was even crowned, to expose his possessions and wealth.

On Thursday, The Guardian reported an extensive investigation into his personal wealth that has been largely kept out of public scrutiny, and it is impossible to know the true and full value of his estate.

However, the newspaper worked on a comprehensive audit of the king’s assets and properties in the countryside, diamond-encrusted jewelry, and others, to conclude that he inherited assets that paid his fortune to nearly £2 billion.

The investigation suggests that the assets he inherited from his mother were exempt from any contribution to the public treasury.

In a statement published in response to the newspaper, a spokesman for the king said: “We do not comment on private finances. But the figures presented in the investigation are a creative mix of speculation, hypothesis, and inaccuracy.”

 

Government Hypocrisy

In a related context, the UK government was accused of having lost its mind after allocating £8m (about $10m) to give all public bodies free pictures of King Charles III, a move that sparked criticism, amid complaints of shrinking budgets in the government and local authorities, Metro newspaper reported on April 1, 2023.

The minister in charge of cabinet affairs, Oliver Dowden, said that the move comes within the framework of celebrating the new era and uniting the country, pointing out that local councils, courts, schools, police, fire and rescue agencies will be among the public institutions eligible to obtain a free picture of Charles before the coronation ceremony.

But this move was met with immediate criticism from anti-monarchy activists, as Graham Smith demanded that this decision be reversed.

“This is a shameful waste of money at a time when most local councils are raising taxes and cutting public services, schools, and hospitals are struggling, and spending a pound on this nonsense is just too much waste,” he said.

“The government is crazy if people think people want to spend their money on pictures of Charles. They should overturn that decision and spend that money on what we really need,” Smith added.

“The coronation of King Charles III is estimated to cost anything from £50m to £100m. This waste is absolutely scandalous,” he added.

Previously, the UK Government announced plans to set aside £1m for massive TVs to screen the King’s coronation.

In this regard, Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer, who will fund this plan, said: “The coronation of King Charles on May 6 will mark a historic moment that unites all people to celebrate the most important event in Britain.”

On its part, the government said that official portraits of Queen Elizabeth II are now on display in many public institutions, and displaying the new official portrait of King Charles III will enable bodies across the UK to carry on this tradition.

The government has made it clear that it is right that the public authorities, who are part of the fabric of the state, should be given the opportunity to celebrate this moment, to promote national pride, and to reflect the new era in British history.

Some Britons also shared their disappointment at how taxpayers’ money was being spent on the king and his coronation, while others in the country could not afford heating and food.

On social media platforms, they expressed their displeasure because, at a time when millions of citizens are struggling to cover their basic expenses, the royal family is planning a lavish coronation ceremony with taxpayers’ money.

Some tweeters called for an end to the monarchy, noting that the British adherence to this system previously was due to their love for Queen Elizabeth.

Others called for the coronation ceremony to be canceled, and the money used to feed the poor instead.

Tweeters highlighted King Charles’ £650m tax-exempt inheritance, pointing out that he gets £350m a year from taxpayers’ money, and has a property worth 22 billion pounds that was never taxed.

The British criticized Sunak’s government as hypocritical for allocating huge sums of money to cover the costs of the coronation, while the NHS did not fund or help starving people who could not afford to heat their homes.