King Charles supports research into royal family’s ties to slavery in unprecedented move

King Charles III has backed new research into the royal family’s historical links to transatlantic slavery, reportedly marking the first time Buckingham Palace has publicly stated its support for an investigation into the royal family’s history with colonialism.

In a new report from The Guardian, Buckingham Palace has said it is aiding an independent research project co-sponsored by Historic Royal Palaces (HRP) into the monarchy’s involvement in the slave trade. In doing so, the Palace will grant researchers full access to the Royal Archives and the Royal Collection.

A spokesperson for the Palace told The Guardian on Wednesday: “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.’

The PhD project by the historian Camilla de Koning – which began in October 2022 and is expected to be completed in 2026 – will explore “links between the British monarchy and the transatlantic slave trade during the late 17th and 18th centuries”. HRP, the study’s co-sponsor, is an independent charity that manages and maintains some unoccupied royal properties.

Buckingham Palace’s support for the investigation comes after The Guardian published a previously unseen document showing that King William III received £1,000 ($1246) in shares in the slave-trading Royal African Company from Edward Colston, the company’s deputy governor, in 1689.

The spokesperson added that King Charles has continued his pledge to deepen his understanding of slavery’s impact with “vigour and determination” since his accession. “Given the complexities of the issues it is important to explore them as thoroughly as possible,” they said.

The move is reportedly the first time Buckingham Palace has voiced its support for, and cooperated with, such research into the royal family’s history with the transatlantic slave trade – the forced transportation of millions of people from Africa to the Caribbean and North America, which British monarchs either supported or profited from during the 17th and 18th centuries.

Ahead of his coronation on Saturday 6 May, King Charles III has previously acknowledged the British royal family’s troubling connection to slavery and colonialism. At the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in June last year, the then Prince of Wales told Commonwealth leaders in his opening ceremony speech that “to unlock the power of our common future, we must also acknowledge the wrongs which have shaped our past”.

He said he was on a personal journey of discovery and was continuing to “deepen my own understanding of slavery’s enduring impact” and added that the roots of the Commonwealth “run deep into the most painful period of our history”.

In March 2022, Prince William denounced slavery as “abhorrent” during a visit to Jamaica, saying it “should never have happened”. The prince described the slave trade as an “appalling atrocity” that “stains our history” and he went on to acknowledge Jamaica’s “pain”.

King Charles III’s coronation will take place on Saturday 6 May, 2023.

Additional reporting by PA.