Earlier the Guardian (Thursday edition) had published a document from 1689 showing the transfer of shares in the Royal African Company, which was active in the slave trade, to King William III. shows.
The paper is signed by Edward Colston, then Deputy Governor of the Society. In Bristol, western England, a statue of Colston, who was considered a benefactor, was thrown into the harbor basin during “Black Lives Matter” protests in 2020.
“Have to admit mistakes”
The palace said the king has been deepening his understanding of the impact of slavery “with vigor and determination” since taking office. At a conference of the Commonwealth of States, to which British ex-colonies belong, Charles said in June 2022 as heir to the throne: “In order to unleash the power of our common future, we have to admit the mistakes that have shaped our past.”
He avoided an apology. Previously, members of the royal family in the Caribbean had been faced with demands for compensation and apologies.
University of Manchester PhD student Camilla de Koning is co-funding the Royal Enterprise: Reconsidering the Crown’s Engagement in Britain’s Emerging Empire, 1660–1775 project. The organization looks after the uninhabited royal palaces on behalf of the British Ministry of Culture.
Statue thrown into port
Colston has recently regained notoriety since historians and activists in Bristol questioned his public image as a benefactor. This culminated in 2020 with activists toppling a statue of Colston and sinking it in the harbor. The document declaring the transfer of Colston’s shares to William III. shows was found in January.
“Clear Evidence”
According to de Koning, the document is “clear evidence” of the British monarchy’s involvement in the slave trade and the importance of slavery to the monarchy’s fortune. “There is no doubt that the centuries of involvement in slavery in Africa and the slave trade made a very large contribution to the status, prestige and wealth of today’s royal family.”
