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British anti-monarchs buckle up to assemble at King's coronation

Sunday, 30 April 2023 11:14 AM [ Last Update: Sunday, 30 April 2023 11:45 AM ]

King Charles III faced protesters outside Westminster Abbey in London in February. (Photo by AFP)

Britons are gearing up for the upcoming coronation ceremony of King Charles III next week amid, as the anti-monarchial pressure group, UK Republic is set to hold a massive demonstration at Trafalgar Square.

Termed as a political movement that seeks to replace the United Kingdom's monarchy with an elected head of state, the protestors are set to hit the streets in yellow T-shirts and placards that would read #NotMyKing, a protest slur coined by the Republic group.

"The monarchy has no place in modern society given how outdated and undemocratic it is," Ryan King told AFP, who plans to take part in the protest on the historic royal occasion.

As the Britons struggle with high costs of living, Graham Smith, Republic’s chief executive, sees it as a perfect opportunity to crowd the roads on the day when the king would be crowned.

"People are far more critical generally of our political system, which comes into this whole debate not just about the royals but about the constitution and the government and parliament," Smith said.

"They are far more willing to listen and engage, and they are far less interested in the royals," he added.

“We want to create a sea of yellow. We will be bringing lots of placards, but you can bring your own too (make them yellow!) and we're asking everyone to wear yellow on the day,” read the invitation to the protest on Republic.org.uk.

"Not my king" slogan has emerged as a signatory slogan that gained popularity as it has been extensively used throughout the time whenever King Charles passed by throughout his outdoor trips.

Ever since the death of Queen Elizabeth II, public support for the monarchy has nosedived to a record low.

Days ago, a new groundbreaking study revealed that only three out of 10 Britons believe that a monarchy is “very important”.

The new survey by the National Center for Social Research (NatCen) claimed that 29 percent of those quizzed said the monarchy was “very important”, 26 percent said it was “quite important”, 20 percent said it was "not very important" and 25 percent said it was "not at all important / abolish".

Both King and Smith are expecting supporters to be spread out along the route, with about 1,000 at Trafalgar Square to chant "Not my king" as Charles passes by.

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