A young queer couple sneaked into a Kings Bed to kiss, eat junk food and read Prince Harry's autobiography in an anti-monarchy protest.
At 10am this morning student Imogen and her partner Riz jumped the security rope during a tour of Windsor Castle and rushed into a bed first constructed for King Charles II in 1670 for a provocative photoshoot.
The 21-year-olds shocked onlookers by eating junk food on the royal sheets, flicking through a copy of Prince Harry’s Spare and holding hands.
The couple are part of a youth movement No More Royals which is demanding an end to the monarchy as head of state and the Royal Family as hereditary rulers of Britain.
Imogen told the Mirror the stunt was meant to be “playful” and a “bit silly”, while also designed to “point out the royal family's relationship to queerness.”
"The king is the supreme governor of the Church of England and we're supposed to have a separation between church and state, but there are 26 bishops in the House of Lords,” Imogen said.
“The church has been the main driver of persecution in this country. The church still doesn't recognise same sex marriage and has pushed persecution of people through colonisation.
“The monarchy is a symbol of that colonial past and it cannot be reformed. It has to be abolished.”
The stunt was held two months before King Charles' coronation on May 6, and comes before a number of protests promised by republican activists.
While Imogen said in her experience most people she knew were against the monarchy, polls suggest the British public are in favour of an unelected, hereditary head of state.
Around 55% of people believe the monarchy is ‘very’ or ‘quite’ important, and 65% think Charles will “do a good job” as king, surveys conducted after the Queen's death found.
Imogen said that while she would be interested to know Charles’ personal views on LGBTQ+ rights, and hoped her stunt would prompt him to come out in support of the community, it didn’t hugely matter what he thought.
“I would be really interested in what the king has to say, but it doesn't change the fact that they are symbols for heteronormativity,” she continued.
“If you have a family that inherits wealth through, until recently, a male lineage, it doesn't matter what his views are.
“The king can't claim that they play no part in it if their wealth comes from oppression.
“People of our generation are done with bowing and curtseying to this family of colonisers, who pretend to care about us and claim to speak on our behalf, when in fact they know nothing about our lives, our struggles, our values or our dreams for what the future should look like.
"We took action in solidarity with all who have suffered under colonisation, with our fellow citizens freezing in their homes, and with every LGBTQ+ person who is alienated by the Church of England’s infiltration of British politics.”
Coronation celebrations are likely to be hit with protests by republican activists, but it remains to be seen how much support they'll inspire.
A group of around 20 anti-monarchists held up signs spelling out #NotMyKing and one protester shouted "Why are you wasting money on a coronation?" during Charles' visit to Milton Keynes last month.
Members of the public began singing "God save the King" in support of the monarch.
