Protesters booed over the cheers which greeted King Charles III and the Queen Consort Camilla during their visit to Cardiff on Friday. As the Royal couple arrived outside Cardiff Castle in the city centre on Friday afternoon, there was apparent jubilation among some but others made their dissent clear.
As the King arrived in a Rolls Royce clear boos could be heard. Many had arrived at the castle to express their opposition to the monarchy. They were dispersed among the crowds, with some protesting alone, others in groups, some holding up signs and others waving the flag of Owain Glyndwr. Protester Andrew Davies held a placard which read: “Make Monarchy History.”
“I believe we should have a democratically elected head of state and not a monarchy,” he told WalesOnline. Asked his view on criticisms that protesters had chosen the wrong time to have a debate about the existence of a monarchy in Britain, he continued: “What better time than when the King is here? When else am I going to protest than when royals are around?
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“I’ve been a republican for as long as I can remember, I’ve just never had the opportunity to do something like this before. Most people who have spoken to me have been supportive and said they like the sign. I’ve had a few who disagree with me too, but that’s what living in Britain is about. Undoubtedly the majority of people support the monarchy. I’m in a very small minority. That doesn’t bother me. It’s a start. We’ll have a monarchy until the day I die but unless we protest now it doesn’t start.”
Nick Wall, of Republic, spoke to WalesOnline after loudly booing the king and shouting “Not my king” as King Charles’ arrived. Wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with the words #NotMyKing, he told WalesOnline: “I’m a democrat, so I’m against power without any accountability. If you’re a democrat I think you must be against the monarchy because this is the complete opposite.
“We’re in a period of mourning and I completely understand that, but it wasn’t republicans who started a political debate about this, that debate was started by the palace who started a succession process before the Queen was even buried. I think that’s a disgrace.”
On Prince William’s new appointment as Prince of Wales, Nick, from Cardiff, said: “In Wales we’re big enough and strong enough to look after ourselves. Nearly 30% of Wales now want to see a republic. Why wouldn’t you? We don’t need a prince to come to Wales to inspire us. We’ve got our own leaders and institutions.
“Most of the time most people don’t think about it, but every royal event like this our members go through the roof. There are people here today who don’t know how to express how angry they are at this being imposed upon us.”
Tom, a 20-year-old student from Cardiff University, was also among those protesting outside the castle today. He explained he has a “moral contention” with the monarchy. “I think they represent some of the worst aspects of humanity - imperialism, capital punishment. My biggest problem is it’s a crystallised representation of the class disparity and it’s representative of the ‘better thans’, the ‘aboves.’”
Like Andrew, Tom felt it was the right time to hold a debate about the monarchy. He said: “I personally am not too bothered about civility in politics. I don’t feel like it’s that important.” He added that the timing would bring about "a good momentum" for the anti-monarchy movement.
“The Queen just died, people don’t really have positive associations with this new King; a lot of people were fond of the old Queen and now that she’s gone, I think this is a good time to galvanise momentum," he said.
One protester outside the castle also claimed he had been approached by a police officer who asked for his details while he was holding up an anti-monarchy sign, which he refused to give. There were also some protesters at Llandaff Cathedral where King Charles attended a commemorative service earlier in the day. They were less vocal, but said they received a warmer welcome than they’d expected.
Laura Thomas-Walters stood in a designated protest spot as the royals arrived, with some people booing her as she stood holding her placard which read: “Abolish the Monarchy.” Minutes before their arrival, she said: “I’m here to protest because I think in this day and age in a supposedly democratic society even a ceremonial head of state shouldn’t be an unelected position."
She added: “It’s a symbol of inequality when financial inequality is rising in this country. We have more kids than ever in poverty, more people than ever in poverty. Apart from the money that has been spent on this, it’s a symbol of class inequality that has absolutely no place in a democratic society.
“I do think this is the time to talk about this. There isn’t a better time to debate the existence of the monarchy. The Prince of Wales title is offensive and I think it should be abolished."
Laura said she was surprised by the reaction she received in Llandaff. Some told her to move, one trader told her to stop protesting outside their business, but most were supportive, Laura said. “The police have been very nice and directed me to this official protesting space,” she added. “I am the only one here. I know others who would be here, but unfortunately they’re in work.”
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