Cancer-Hit King Charles 'Fuming' Over 'Ultra-Woke' Royal Honors Slavery Controversy: 'Changing the System is the Last Thing He Needs'
King Charles is considering 'radical changes' to the Royal honors system that aim to remove references to the UK’s colonial past but in private he is irked by the plan.
Nov. 11 2024, Published 1:35 a.m. ET
King Charles is considering 'radical changes' to the Royal honors system that aim to remove references to the UK’s colonial past.
Under the proposed revisions, the term 'Empire' would be eliminated from British honors, allowing recipients of the OBE (Order of the British Empire) to choose alternative recognitions, such as the Order of British Excellence or the Order of Elizabeth, in tribute to the late Queen, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Officials view the OBE as an outdated title tied to the country’s colonial history, and discussions around these changes suggest a willingness to modernize the system.
King Charles is currently recovering from treatment for a cancer as he faces calls to change the honors set-up.
In a new biography of the King, a senior palace official is quoted saying: "Any change is a matter for the government, but I think that they would find that this place was pretty open to the idea."
However, insiders say the changes have irked the monarch as he battles back to full strength after treatment for cancer and courtiers have branded the plan as "ultra-woke meddling" and the "last thing he needs".
One said: "It seems that all the go-gooders are now circling and want to consign the British honors system and all it stands for to history. It is ultra-woke meddling by the leftwing elite who have nothing else to expend their energies upon. It is the last thing the King needs as he recovers from cancer. In private, he is fuming."
In a new biography of the King, a senior palace official is quoted as saying: 'Any change is a matter for the government, but I think that they would find that this place was pretty open to the idea.'
This potential overhaul follows mounting pressure from Caribbean Commonwealth nations, which have called for the UK to consider substantial reparations for the historical injustices of the slave trade.
During a recent royal tour of the South Pacifi, Charles addressed the Commonwealth Heads of Government in Samoa, firmly dismissing the notion of reparations.
King Charles emphasized the importance of learning from history while addressing the complex issues surrounding the UK's colonial past.
During a recent Royal tour of the South Pacific, King Charles addressed the Commonwealth Heads of Government in Samoa, firmly dismissing the notion of reparations.
During a recent gathering with Commonwealth leaders in Samoa, he stated: "None of us can change the past, but we can commit with all our hearts to learn its lessons."
He underscored the necessity for the Commonwealth to engage in open and respectful discussions on these challenging matters, highlighting a collective commitment to addressing historical injustices.
Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has made it clear that the government will not pursue reparations for slavery, indicating a firm stance on the issue amidst ongoing conversations within the association regarding the legacy of colonialism.
British actor Alan Cumming previously refused honours over the 'toxicity of empire'.
Several figures have previously refused honours over the word empire, such as the British actor Alan Cumming who handed back the OBE he won in 2009 last year due to its association with the "toxicity of empire".
In 2003 after refusing an OBE, UK poet Benjamin Zephaniah, wrote: "Me? I thought, 'OBE me? Up yours'. I get angry when I hear that word 'empire'; it reminds me of slavery, it reminds of thousands of years of brutality."
Charles, when he was Prince of Wales, spoke of the "appalling atrocity of slavery, which forever stains our history" during a visit to Barbados in 2021.
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King Charles, when he was Prince of Wales, spoke of the ‘appalling atrocity of slavery, which forever stains our history’ during a visit to Barbados in 2021.
At the Commonwealth summit two years ago in Rwanda, he spoke of his sorrow over slavery and its legacy for Indigenous communities and said it was a "conversation whose time has come".
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