King Charles criticised over photo beneath slave-linked portrait

The British monarchy has faced criticism from activists and academics after King Charles III posed with Caribbean officials beneath a portrait of George IV, a monarch associated with slavery. The photograph was taken during a Commonwealth Day reception at St James’s Palace.

According to research by historian Desirée Baptiste, George IV profited from plantations in Grenada where enslaved people were forced to work. Revenues from the estates are said to have flowed directly into his private coffers. The findings, experts say, add to pressure on the monarchy to address its past more directly.

Critics have described the photograph as insensitive. ‘It’s insulting to have his portrait,’ said Arley Gill, chairman of Grenada’s National Reparations Committee. ‘It’s doubly offensive to have a person of African descent with the King under his photograph.’

Other experts have described the episode as ‘historical amnesia’ that normalises the erasure of colonial crimes. Some commentators have cautioned against overinterpreting the image, noting that it was taken in a historic setting where portraits of former monarchs are permanently displayed. Buckingham Palace had no immediate comment.

King Charles has previously expressed regret over slavery and has encouraged further research into the monarchy’s role during the period.

(reuters, max)