King Charles III has come under criticism from reparations advocates and scholars following a photograph taken with Caribbean officials beneath a portrait of George IV, a king historically linked to profits from enslaved labor.
The image was captured during a Commonwealth Day reception held on March 10 at St. James’s Palace, where Charles hosted diplomats from across the Caribbean, including representatives from Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Trinidad and Tobago. British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper was also present.
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The group photograph, which included approximately 29 attendees, was shared across official social media platforms, prompting backlash after observers noted the prominent placement of George IV’s portrait in the background.
Historical research by scholar Desirée Baptiste found that George IV received financial benefits from Crown-owned estates in Grenada that were worked by enslaved Africans during the 18th and 19th centuries. The findings have intensified calls for the monarchy to more directly confront its historical ties to slavery.
Arley Gill, chairman of Grenada’s National Reparations Committee, described the image as deeply troubling. “it is offensive to have his portrait up,” he said. “it is doubly offensive to have persons of african descent with the king below a photograph of him… it just rubs salt in the wounds.”
Gill added that the controversy should serve as a moment of reflection for Caribbean representatives, encouraging deeper awareness of the historical context surrounding such symbols.
Baptiste characterized the incident as a “diplomatic misstep,” urging the monarchy to take further steps toward acknowledging its past. Similarly, British academic Robert Beckford criticized the image as an example of “historical amnesia,” adding that “standing beneath royal portraits normalises forgetting.”
The backlash comes amid ongoing scrutiny of the British monarchy’s historical links to slavery. Charles previously expressed sorrow over the transatlantic slave trade in a 2022 address to Commonwealth leaders and has supported academic research examining the royal family’s role in the institution.
Separate historical findings have also linked earlier monarchs, including William III, to financial involvement in the slave trade through investments in entities such as the Royal African Company, which trafficked enslaved Africans to the Americas.
As calls for reparations and formal apologies continue to grow across the Caribbean, the controversy highlights the enduring sensitivity surrounding colonial history and the symbolic weight of public imagery in diplomatic settings.
Buckingham Palace has not issued an official response to the criticism.
