King Charles III backs research into British monarchy's links to slavery

Through the Buckingham Palace statement, King Charles III becomes the first monarch to address the British crown's ties to slavery. (DPA: Britta Pedersen via AP)

King Charles III has given his support to research that will examine the crown's historical links to the slave trade of the 17th and 18th centuries.

An investigation from the Guardian unearthed documents that showed in 1689 King William III had a stake in the trade to the tune of £1,000 ($1,860) in shares of the Royal African Company (RAC), which was involved in the transportation of thousands of slaves from Africa to the Americas.

That document was signed by Edward Colston, a slave trade magnate whose history became widely known after protesters toppled a statue of him in Bristol and threw it in the harbour during 2020 Black Lives Matter protests.

A statement from Buckingham Palace did not address the document directly, but said the King would co-operate with an independent investigation into the link, granting researchers full access to the royal collection and archives.

"This is an issue that His Majesty takes profoundly seriously," the statement from the Palace said. 

It's the first time a British monarch has signalled support for research into Crown's slavery ties.

To affirm King Charles's position, the Palace's statement recalled his speech in Rwanda in 2022, in which he spoke of feeling  "personal sorrow at the suffering of so many, as I continue to deepen my own understanding of slavery's enduring impact".

In a tour of the Caribbean that same year, Prince William and Kate were met with anti-colonialism protests in Jamaica.

Protesters called for the UK to pay reparations for centuries of slavery ahead of the visit by Prince William and Kate in Kingston in 2022. (Reuters: Kate Chappell)

The heir to the throne addressed the issue, saying slavery "forever stains our history" and publicly backed Caribbean nations seeking independence from the Crown.

Buckingham Palace said the royal household would help to support an independent research project looking into any links between the monarchy and slavery during the late seventeenth and eighteenth-centuries, by allowing access to the Royal Collection and the Royal Archives.

The research into the monarchy's ties to slavery is co-sponsored by Historic Royal Palaces and Manchester University and is expected to be completed by 2026.

ABC/ wires