'Not My King': Londoner Explains Why He's Protesting Charles' Coronation

On Saturday over a million people are expected to descend upon London to mark the coronation of King Charles III.

Yet in among the sea of Union Jack flags and assorted royal family memorabilia, a significant contingent, separate from the adoring crowds, will be holding banners and placards bearing a very different message: "Not My King."

With the eyes of the world fixed squarely on proceedings around Westminster Abbey, King Charles III's coronation will also serve as an opportunity for a protest being billed as "significant game changer" for the anti-monarchist movement.

Protesters from the U.K.'s biggest anti-monarchy group, Republic, are set to line the coronation procession route through central London, calling for the abolition of the monarchy and the introduction of a democratic alternative, with thousands expected to take part.

The campaign group has made no secret of its opposition to Charles' ascension to the throne, branding it an "affront to democracy." Since then, the group has been busy putting together plans for the protest with notable guest speakers including Clive Lewis, a sitting member of parliament, and activist Peter Tatchell.

There certainly appears to be a degree of apathy towards the coronation among the British. In March, a YouGov survey found 22 percent of the UK public polled did not plan to watch the coronation.

There also appears to be a generational shift on the horizon. In 2021, YouGov data also showed that 41 percent of 18-24 year-olds felt Britain should have an elected head of state, with only 31 percent in favor of seeing the monarchy continue.

Ben Clinton is part of that shift. The 21-year-old Londoner will be on the frontline of the protest. Clinton is the communications officer for Republic as well as Campaign Coordinator for Labour for a Republic. He can remember questioning the idea of a monarchy from as early as elementary school.

"I remember us having to sing songs for the Jubilee, which I thought was really strange," Clinton told Newsweek. "Why are we singing songs to this random person? At the time, obviously being quite young, I couldn't understand why someone who ruled the country wasn't elected like every other politician was. I think that was likely the first experience that caused me to become a republican."

Through his own research and his work as part of the Republic movement, Clinton's opinion of the monarch has evolved considerably since then. "I'm opposed because to put it simply, as an institution, it isn't democratic and promotes vast amounts of inequality in this country," he said. "In the 21st century, why are we still allowing a hereditary relic of the past to rule over us, without any vote from the people to give them a mandate for their actions? The royals have exempted themselves from over 160 laws, avoid tax, and take wealth from the duchies and public purse to add to their own personal fortunes."

Clinton's concerns are not without foundation. Last year an investigation by The Guardian found the late Queen enjoyed immunity from more than 160 laws, including ones around animal welfare and workers' rights. Forbes, meanwhile, estimated the royal family's personal wealth to be in the range of $28 billion.

"On top of all of this, we don't actually know their true cost to the country," Clinton said. "Factoring in their exemption from Freedom of Information requests and the amount of tax revenue we lose from them, the true cost of the royals is possibly much more than the available data suggests."

Ultimately, Clinton believes the U.K. is being held back by maintaining a royal family. "Having a monarchy on the world stage is an archaic and out-of-date attraction," he said. "Many other countries have, even in recent years, had this debate and decided to remove monarchial heads of state. Nepal and multiple members of the Commonwealth come to mind."

Despite the current state of play, Clinton thinks that change will come. "If I didn't believe that, I wouldn't be doing this campaigning," he said. For now, though, he's focused on the coronation and playing his part in a protest that he hopes people around the world will take note of.

"I'll be gathering in Trafalgar Square with a couple of thousand other republican protesters. We'll have chants, placards, music and speakers from all across British and world politics. It'll be a great atmosphere," he said. "I hope they [people watching around the world] see that the monarchy isn't some sort of universally supported institution that some of the media make it out to be. We're going to make our voices and views heard and represent the significant proportion of the public that thinks the time for a British Republic is now."

Coming at a time when the UK government is placing increased restrictions on protesters with new laws threatening prison sentences for those blocking roads or locking themselves to objects and buildings, Clinton believes demonstrations of this kind are "essential."

"We're seeing a burgeoning threat to democracy and protest in this country through laws such as this," he said. "Protesting is the foundation for a free and open society—it has to be protected at all costs."