Beautiful Virgin Islands

Saturday, Jul 19, 2025

King Charles supports study into Royal Family slavery links

King Charles supports study into Royal Family slavery links

Buckingham Palace has said that it is co-operating with an independent study exploring the relationship between the British monarchy and the slave trade in the 17th and 18th centuries.
The Palace said King Charles takes the issue "profoundly seriously".

The research is being carried out by the University of Manchester with Historic Royal Palaces.

Buckingham Palace is granting researchers full access to the Royal Archives and the Royal Collection.

The study, a PhD project by historian Camilla de Koning, is expected to be completed in 2026.

Both the King and the Prince of Wales have previously expressed their personal sorrow at the suffering caused by the slave trade.

Speaking during a trip to Rwanda last year, the King said he could not describe "the depths of his personal sorrow" at the suffering caused by the slave trade.

In a visit to Jamaica last spring, Prince William said slavery was abhorrent, "should never have happened" and "forever stains our history".

The King wants to continue his pledge to deepen his understanding of slavery's impact with "vigour and determination" since his accession, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said.

They continued: "This is an issue that His Majesty takes profoundly seriously."

"Given the complexities of the issues it is important to explore them as thoroughly as possible."

A Palace statement was issued in response to the Guardian, which has published a previously unseen document showing the 1689 transfer of shares in the slave-trading Royal African Company from Edward Colston - the slave trader and the company's deputy governor - to King William III.

The King has also said that each Commonwealth country should make its own decision over whether it is a constitutional monarchy or a republic.

He said he was aware the roots of the Commonwealth organisation "run deep into the most painful period of our history" and said acknowledging the wrongs of the past was a "conversation whose time has come".

There are currently 14 Commonwealth Realms in addition to the UK where the King is their head of state.

Dr Halima Begum, chief executive of the Runnymede Trust - a race equality think tank - told the BBC "it is wonderful to see King Charles building on his mother's legacy".

She described it as "incredibly encouraging" to see an incremental engagement from the monarchy on issues surrounding the injustice of slavery.

Dr Begum went on to say that the "next step could be a royal commission to unearth the complex histories of colonialism," and that it would "really inspire millions of British citizens, and of course citizens across the Commonwealth".

The Palace's announcement came as the King took part in a centuries-old Easter tradition, known as Maundy Thursday, for the first time since becoming monarch.

PhD student Ms de Koning said "the royals are often overlooked when it comes to influence".

She told BBC Radio 4's World at One programme: "It seems like they are just stamping decrees, but they are actually very involved as diplomatic players.

"I'm hoping to change that perspective, that you can see there are way more links between the colonial and the monarch than ever have been investigated, or have ever been noticed, so we can flip that around."

Dr Edmond Smith, who is supervising Ms de Koning's project, said the crown has "often been left out of discussions" on the transatlantic slave trade, calling it an "important hole that needed to be filled through the research".

"How the royal household may take that research on board is something we can only hope to see develop in the coming years," he added.

The PhD study is co-sponsored by Historic Royal Palaces which manages several sites.

It started in October, one month after the King came to the throne.

It will look into the extent of any investments from any other slave trading companies.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
President Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas, Praises Community Strength and First Responders
From Mystery to Meltdown, Crisis Within the Trump Administration: Epstein Files Ignite A Deepening Rift at the Highest Levels of Government Reveals Chaos, Leaks, and Growing MAGA Backlash
Trump Slams Putin Over War Death Toll, Teases Major Russia Announcement
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
×