Against a backdrop of “long-term decline” (1), the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha’s (aka Windsor) media onslaught still managed to get eighteen million to tune in to the coronation of Charles III with the largest police operation in history on hand to safeguard the consensus among the public, who are footing the estimated £100,000,000 bill, while being asked to pledge allegiance to boot. (2) However, further afield the goings on at Westminster Abbey were said to “stir little interest” amid renewed calls for reparations from those enslaved and colonised in the name of the British crown. Although some Caribbean heads of government attended, those from the republics of Barbados and Trinidad & Tobago as well as Jamaica did not. (3)

Perhaps acknowledging the changing tide, with a number of countries considering jettisoning him as their head of state (4) the new king recently “expressed support for research into the monarchy’s ties with slavery”. (5) Lauded by some as a step forward but as Carolyn Cooper is professor emerita, The University of the West Indies points out:

“The research has been done and the evidence is indisputable: successive kings and queens of England were engaged in the trafficking of enslaved Africans for 270 years.” (6)

In addition to trying to sanitise ‘The Firm’s’ past, the regent might also want to turn his attention to its present like the briefing against his mixed-race daughter-in-law Megan Markle (7) or the ostensible tacit approval of the media onslaught against Sistah Space’s Ngozi Fulani (8) which cannot be placated by the presence of a reggae choir at the coronation concert. (9)

Although many perceive it to be a staggeringly low bar, Charles has gone further than any of his predecessors, including his intransigent mother. (10) Now with some members of the UK aristocracy and the Church of England addresing the reparations issue in a limited way, it could be seen as the reparations campaign making headway. (11)

(1) Jennifer Agiesta, Ariel Edwards-Levy and Sana Noor Haq (05/05/23) Britons’ support for the monarchy is in long-term decline, suggesting King Charles faces challenges.https://edition.cnn.com/2023/05/05/europe/royals-coronation-polling-britons-intl/index.html; Matthew Lodge and George Odling and Matt Powell (03/05/23) Record 11,500 police will guard the coronation in biggest security operation in British history – as King Charles holds audience with New Zealand PM at Buckingham Palace hours after ‘knifeman with suspicious package’ sparked security scare. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12042783/Record-11-500-police-guard-coronation-biggest-security-operation-British-history.html; Victoria Murphy (06/05/23) Who Is Paying For King Charles’s Coronation? https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/a43773972/king-charles-coronation-cost/; Thomas Kingsley and Tom Murray (07/05/23) Coronation pledge of allegiance will be changed at King Charles’ request. https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/royal-family/king-charles-oath-pledge-coronation-archbishop-b2333711.html

(2) Andre Rhoden-Paul (07/05/23) ‘King Charles III’s Coronation watched by more than 18 million viewers. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-65518360

(3) Janine Mendes-Franco (06/05/23) King Charles’ coronation stirs little interest in the Caribbean, save for how he plans to respond to calls for reparations.https://globalvoices.org/2023/05/06/king-charles-coronation-stirs-little-interest-in-the-caribbean-save-for-how-he-plans-to-respond-to-calls-for-reparations/

(4) Brooke Newman (13/04/23) Slavery, Restorative Justice, and the Coronation of Charles III. https://www.nacbs.org/post/slavery-restorative-justice-and-the-coronation-of-charles-iii

(5) Banseka Kayembe (04/05/23) King Charles wants to appear progressive on race. He’s not. https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/king-charles-coronation-slavery-race-royal-family-reparations/

(6) Carolyn Cooper (03/05/23) King Charles must rise above impotent talk of ‘sorrow’ for slavery. https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/king-charles-iii-coronation-caribbean-jamaica-carolyn-cooper/; Still We Rise (11/03/21) Throne Of Blood – The British Royal Family. https://stillwerise.uk/2021/03/11/throne-of-blood-the-british-royal-family/#:~:text=Surrounding%20the%20figures%20is%20the,by%20commerce%20the%20realm%E2%80%9D

(7) Laura Elston (14/12/22) ‘Palace briefed negative stories about Harry and Meghan to help other royals’. hhttps://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/netflix-buckingham-palace-sussex-kensington-palace-ireland-b2245122.html

(8) Nadine White (08/03/23) Ngozi Fulani steps down as CEO of Sistah Space over wave of abuse in wake of palace race row. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/ngozi-fulani-steps-down-palace-racism-row-b2296389.html

(9) Iqra Farooq (07/05/23) Coronation concert: Reggae choir to perform for King Charles. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-65493718

(10)Kayembe. Op. cit

(11) Lisa Weiner (26/04/23) British aristocrats ask King Charles to join a slavery reparations movement. https://www.npr.org/2023/04/26/1171593635/british-aristocrats-ask-king-charles-to-join-a-slavery-reparations-movement; Dr Steve Cushion (15/01/23) Church of England’s £100m compensation for slavery is chickenfeed. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/15/church-of-englands-100m-compensation-for-slavery-is-chickenfeed

we ask the question:

Is the royal family getting ready for reparations?

1) Is the UK royal family in “long-term decline”?

2) Was “Commonwealth” government attendance at the coronation an endorsement of the monarchy?

3) What does research into “the monarchy’s ties with slavery” really mean?

4) How does ‘The Firm’ deal with race issues in the present compared to its past?

Our Special Guests:

Bro. Ldr. Mbandaka: Resident guest who is Spiritual Leader of the Alkebu-Lan Revivalist Movement and an Afrikan-Centred Education Consultant. Bro. Ldr is a veteran activist of 40 years standing and is author of Mosiah Daily Affirmations and Education: An African-Centred Approach To Excellence.

Bro. Glenroy Watson: is the secretary of the Global Afrikan Congress UK branch. He is a veteran activist and trade unionist of international repute. Bro. Glenroy has been a stalwart of the TUC Black workers conferences for twenty years.

Bro. ShakaRa Mbandaka: the son of Bro. Ldr. Mbandaka, Father, Partner, Universal Afrikan Nationalist, Organiser, Spoken Word Activist, Writer, Cultural Scientist, Educator, Sema Tawi and graduate of the UNIA-ACL’s Course In Afrikan Philosophy (ShakaRaSpeaks.com).