King Charles opened a new session of Parliament today. You may have missed news coverage but supporters of the anti-monarchist group Republic protested with Not My King placards as the Royal Carriage proceeded to Parliament.
It was the continuation of a very long tradition of Anti-Royalism.
On 29th October 1795 King George was ‘hissed and hooted’ and his carriage pelted by a crowd shouting No War, No King, No Pitt (the Prime Minister) Peace. There was a crowd of 200,000 or so with some holding small loaves on sticks covered with black crepe. A hawker selling Tom Paine’s Rights of Man (a banned text) for a penny was arrested but rescued by the crowd and chaired in triumph (E P Thompson, Making of the English Working Class).
It was an important part of British history which no doubt will be reflected on in media reports of today’s Kings Speech, all part of our island story…
Thank you for this, and all your other timely reminders.