New polling has exhibited that nearly half of Brits bear financial reparations being paid by the Royal Family over their historical links to the slave trade.
The Savanta poll order by Yahoo shows a big contrast in how the issue was observed by different age groups, with younger ages supporting redress more than their older counterparts.
It’s another signal of how polarising the royals have become and why one expert thinks they have “fallen victim to the culture wars.”
Overall, 44% of Brits think the Royal Family should make financial redress for their role in the transatlantic slave commerce, while 32% don’t think they should and 22% don’t know.
The polling comes after King Charles reported he would allow a historian into the royal record as part of a research project undertaken by Historic Royal Palaces into the royals’ tether to slavery.
However, Rishi Sunak made plain in Parliament on April 26 that the UK government currently has no intention of apologizing for the country’s role in the historic enormity.
Of all lifetime groups, 18 to 24-year-olds (58%) bear the royals paying economic reparations most strongly; this support gradually reduces to only 29% in those over 65s.
The history of slavery in the UK
Political affiliation also affected how people answered the question: with Conservative and Brexit Party voters imminent in short in favour of reparations being paid, at 29% and 20%, respectively. 68% of Brexit Party voters said the Windsors should not build financial reparations.
SNP voters responded most forcibly in favour of the royals at 68%; Green Party voters closely followed this at 59% and Labour voters at 57%.
56% of pollee who voted Leave in the 2016 EU ballot said the royals shouldn’t pay redress, compared to 32% who voted Remain.
The royal family has recently not been well received in the Caribbean, with two tours last year ending in PR disasters. (Getty Images)
New polls have shown nearly half of Britons support financial reparations being paid by the royal family for their historical links to the slave trade.
The Savanta poll, commissioned by Yahoo, shows a wide disparity in how the issue is viewed by different age groups, with younger generations more supportive of reparations than their older counterparts.
Analysis of the poll results
It’s another signal of how polarizing royals have become and why one expert thinks they’ve “fallen victim to the culture wars.”
Overall, 44% of Britons think the royal family should make financial restitution for their role in the transatlantic slave trade, while 32% believe they shouldn’t, and 22% don’t know.
The poll comes after King Charles announced he would admit a historian to the royal archives as part of a research project by Historic Royal Palaces into royals’ links to slavery.
However, Rishi Sunak made it clear in Parliament on April 26 that the UK government has no intention to apologize for the country’s role in the historical atrocity.
Of all age groups, 18-24-year-olds (58%) favoured royals paying financial reparations; this support gradually declined to 29% among those aged 65 and over.
Political affiliation also played a role in answering the question: Conservative and Brexit Party voters were the least likely to support paying reparations, at 29% and 20%, respectively. 68% of Brexit Party voters polled said the Windsors should not make financial redress.
The way forward: towards a just society
SNP voters were the most pro-Royals at 68%, followed by Green Party voters at 59% and Labor voters at 57%.
56% of those who voted to leave in the 2016 EU referendum said royals should not pay reparations, compared to 32% of those who voted to stay.
King Charles has spoken on several occasions about the history of British slavery.
The story goes on
Charles attended Barbados’ ceremony marking the transition to a republic in 2021 and conveyed that slavery was an atrocity but made no official apology. (Getty Images)
In 2018, he called it a “horrific atrocity” during a befall to Ghana. He said in 2021 that it “stains our history forever” during the official ceremony of Barbados’ transition to a republic and the deposition of Queen Elizabeth marked as the head of state.
In Rwanda last year, Charles said in a speech that he “cannot describe the chasms [his] personal grief over the suffering of so many”, which he is working to “deepen”. [his] own understanding of the enduring effects of slavery”.
Those sentiments were shared by Prince William, who expressed his “deep regret” at slavery during a visit to Jamaica.
