King Charles Backs Research Into Royal Family’s Ties To Slavery, Marking A First For Buckingham Palace

etcanada.com:

King Charles is supporting an investigation into the British royal family’s ties to slavery. The Guardian unveiled a previously unseen document showing that back in 1689, King William III had received £1,000 (around $1,680 CAD) of shares in the slave-trading Royal African Company from Edward Colston; the company’s deputy governor.

Despite not commenting on the document in question, Buckingham Palace did release a statement to the paper, confirming it supported a research project, co-sponsored by Historic Royal Palaces (HRP), which manages several palaces, that’s looking deeper into the monarchy’s involvement and investment in the slave trade. READ MORE: First Lady Jill Biden Will Attend King Charles’ Coronation Without Joe Biden, White House Confirms A palace spokesperson said: “This is an issue that His Majesty takes profoundly seriously.

As His Majesty told the Commonwealth heads of government reception in Rwanda last year: ‘I cannot describe the depths of my personal sorrow at the suffering of so many, as I continue to deepen my own understanding of slavery’s enduring impact.’ “That process has continued with vigour and determination since His Majesty’s accession.

Historic Royal Palaces is a partner in an independent research project, which began in October last year, that is exploring, among other issues, the links between the British monarchy and the transatlantic slave trade during the late 17th and 18th centuries. “As part of that drive, the royal household is supporting this research through access to the royal collection and the royal archives,” they added.