“Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.”
William Shakespeare made that observation in the sixteenth century in his play, “Henry IV Part Two,” but it still seems relevant to King Charles III in the twenty-first century.
As evidence, take Charles’ appearance in Liverpool Thursday.
The monarch — who is scheduled to be crowned in a ceremony on May 6 at London’s Westminster Abbey — was there to tour the set of the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest, according to The National.
Typical of countless royal appearances by his predecessors, Charles was met with crowds lining the streets, cheering and waving red, white and blue Union Jacks.
But there was another group in attendance, and they weren’t cheering, according to the National.
Dozens of demonstrators were there to support Republic, an “anti-monarchy group,” by waving neon yellow signs and chanting “Not my King,” the outlet reported.
The group cried foul after a competing news agency claimed that a group of schoolchildren shouted down the protesters with a chant of their own.
Protestors chanting “not my King” are drowned out by children chanting “he’s our King” pic.twitter.com/1YrEPoeb8C
— BBC Radio Merseyside (@bbcmerseyside) April 26, 2023
The King and Queen Consort arrive at Liverpool library pic.twitter.com/nI5bASfhNy
— BBC Radio Merseyside (@bbcmerseyside) April 26, 2023
The National said Republic “claimed the BBC post was ‘untrue and a worrying bit of spin,'” explaining that “Our protesters were not chanting at this point.”
The protest group indicated they would be contacting the BBC “for an explanation.”
The Daily Mail reported that Republic is a “pressure group” which has been advocating for an end to the United Kingdom’s constitutional monarchy.
No election. No choice. Liverpool had its say – Charles isn’t their king. #NotMyKing #AbolishTheMonarchy pic.twitter.com/4Rio8lqNzR
— Republic (@RepublicStaff) April 26, 2023
It’s been around since 1983 and they’ve protested at major events like the 2011 wedding of Prince William and Princess Catherine as well as Prince Harry’s wedding to Meghan Markle in 2018, but they weren’t able to gain much traction while Charles’ mother, Queen Elizabeth II, was alive.
The kid gloves came off after Elizabeth’s death last fall, and they’ve been spotted on multiple occasions waving their banners and booing Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla.
The group’s hashtag, #NotMyKing, “has become increasingly popular since King Charles ascended to the throne in September 2022, with some members of the public raising fresh questions about the necessity for a monarchy in the United Kingdom,” according to the outlet.
“In 2016 it had over 5,000 paying members and about 35,000 online supporters,” according to the Daily Mail.
Republic is planning extensive protests, with more than 1,000 participants, at next week’s coronation ceremony, but organizers “promised they will keep it ‘fairly light-hearted,” the Daily Mail reported.
Join our protest on May 6th: https://t.co/JxWpN9k2Tb pic.twitter.com/9CmKXqpfq4
— Republic (@RepublicStaff) April 28, 2023
“We’ll make sure that when the procession goes past we are unmissable,” anti-monarchist Graham Smith told the outlet.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
