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Royal family hijacked VE Day anniversary, says republican protest organiser

10 May 2025 3 minute read
The anti-monarchy group Republic stage a rally in Trafalgar Square, London. Photo credit: James Manning/PA Wire

The head of a republican movement has claimed the royal family “hijacked” VE Day anniversary celebrations as protesters campaigned in central London.

Several hundred people gathered in Trafalgar Square on Saturday for the demonstration, organised by anti-monarchy group Republic, to mark two years since the King’s coronation.

Large yellow banners were hung in front of the National Gallery that read “Abolish the monarchy” and “Change country for good”, while protesters also held yellow flags that said “Down with the crown”.

The demonstration included a 15ft dinosaur called Chuck the Rex that represents the monarchy as “a tamed fossil that belongs in a museum”, organisers said.

Separate republican protests were also due to take place in Edinburgh and Cardiff on Saturday.

Anniversary

It comes after Charles and the royal family attended a busy week of public engagements marking the 80th anniversary of VE Day, including a military procession and flypast over Buckingham Palace on Monday.

Graham Smith, Republic’s chief executive, told the crowd at the protest that the monarchy was “a corrupt, disreputable and grubby institution” and called for “a parliamentary republic where citizenship really means something (and) where we are genuinely equal”.

He said the movement’s goal was to abolish the monarchy “in the next few decades”.

Asked about the royal family’s role in the commemorative VE Day events, Mr Smith told the PA news agency: “The royals certainly hijacked those celebrations.

“They are not a celebration of the royals but if you watched some of the coverage, it was.

“The war was a collective effort and we should be reflecting on the people that made those sacrifices at the time and went through it, not gawping at princes on balconies and worrying about who they’re having tea with.”

Arrested

Mr Smith and other Republic members were arrested for taking part in a pre-agreed protest on the King’s coronation on May 6 2023, and were later told no further action would be taken.

The group held up banners and chanted “not my King, not my King” when Charles and other royal family members joined a service at Westminster Abbey celebrating Commonwealth Day in March.

Mr Smith said Republic would continue to protest at every major royal event, including at the Trooping the Colour next month.

Former Liberal Democrat minister Norman Baker, who was MP for Lewes from 1997 to 2015, told the crowd: “You don’t have to be a republican to find unacceptable the huge handouts, the unique tax exemptions and all the tricks and ways that they used to inflate further their bulging bank accounts at our public expense.

“It’s time for all of us, republicans and supporters of the monarchy, to say enough is enough and call time on this greedy family.”


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Alain
Alain
21 hours ago

Some would prefer to forget Edward batting for the other side.

Paul
Paul
15 hours ago

Surely the bigger message re VE Day is that we have a war in Europe. A Fascist leader in US, Genocide in the Middle East and two nuclear powers head to head in the subcontinent. Where is the victory?

hdavies15
hdavies15
4 hours ago

More like hijacking by the entire Establishment of which the royal family is a key component. They get pushed to the front for obvious “continuity” reasons but behind them lurks a devious manipulative mass of power and influence that is reluctant to accommodate change unless it suits their purposes.

Cai Wogan Jones
Cai Wogan Jones
4 hours ago

The three ideological pillars supporting the British state are the Windsor monarchy, militarism and a particular narrative of the UK’s role in WW2. These all came together in the VE Day pomp.

Last edited 4 hours ago by Cai Wogan Jones
Charles Coombes
Charles Coombes
15 minutes ago

A day that should have been spent in remembrance of those that lost there lives and had their lives changed by war.
Spoilt by the rich and powerful.

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