We’ll get to the protests in just one moment, but I’d like to talk about this first: King Charles was out and about in Milton Keynes yesterday and one of his stops was at the area foodbank. Charles showed up empty-handed, and he seemed to find the whole “food bank” situation bizarre and hilarious, if the photos are any indication. I’m not saying royals should wear sackcloth and ashes to their foodbank visits, but A) BRING SOMETHING and B) don’t look so f–king jazzed that you’re doing a poverty-tourism event. Also: stop sticking your tongue out when you laugh, oh my god.
Now, let’s talk about the protests. The staff of Republic, the antimonarchy group, organized a decent-sized protest outside of Charles’s event. The republicans were mingling with the monarchists in the (underwhelming) crowd. They held up signs reading “Not My King.” The sign-holders managed to get in many of the wide shots of Charles’s arrival and his short walk-about among the crowd. The protest got a lot of coverage in the UK and here in America, especially on social media. A very good stunt. The protesters even tried to call out questions to Charles but he ignored them.
After the protest, Republic’s spokesperson Graham Smith told HuffPo that Republic is “concerned about recent police harassment of peaceful protesters at royal events. We’re determined to get the message across that it’s ok to protest against the royals. Instead of a pointless coronation we need a serious public debate. Republic will be protesting at the coronation, driving home the message that this is not a national celebration, but promotion of the monarchy at huge cost to the taxpayer.” Bless Graham Smith. And he’s absolutely right – even if you’re a British person who likes or doesn’t care about the monarchy, you should absolutely support republicans’ right to protest and demonstrate. Other than the egg-tossers (barely a misdemeanor), the demonstrations have been entirely peaceful. Protests are meant to be disruptive, so… go get into good trouble.
#NotMyKing pic.twitter.com/Xri8C5NE6A
— Republic (@RepublicStaff) February 16, 2023
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
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- Britain’s King Charles visits the Milton Keynes food bank in Milton Keynes, Britain February 16, 2023.,Image: 756564984, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
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- Britain’s King Charles visits the Milton Keynes food bank in Milton Keynes, Britain February 16, 2023.,Image: 756565021, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
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- Britain’s King Charles visits the Milton Keynes food bank in Milton Keynes, Britain February 16, 2023.,Image: 756565033, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
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- King Charles III visit to Milton Keynes Buckinghamshire, to celebrate its new status as a city, awarded as part of the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. Featuring: General View (Protestors at King Charles III Visit To Milton Keynes) Where: Milton Keynes, England, United Kingdom When: 16 Feb 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only**
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- King Charles III visit to Milton Keynes Buckinghamshire, to celebrate its new status as a city, awarded as part of the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. Featuring: General View (Protestors at King Charles III Visit To Milton Keynes) Where: Milton Keynes, England, United Kingdom When: 16 Feb 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only**
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- King Charles III visit to Milton Keynes Buckinghamshire, to celebrate its new status as a city, awarded as part of the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. Featuring: General View (Protestors at King Charles III Visit To Milton Keynes) Where: Milton Keynes, England, United Kingdom When: 16 Feb 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only**
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- King Charles III visit to Milton Keynes Buckinghamshire, to celebrate its new status as a city, awarded as part of the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. Featuring: King Charles III Where: Milton Keynes, England, United Kingdom When: 16 Feb 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only**
This is a very positive sign for British democracy. I hope they can really come out in force for the con-a-nation.
As for the event itself, Republic tweeted a photo of the “crowd”, saying, “It’s almost two deep!” 😂
Yes, good for the people to be out there in the streets exercising their rights to protest. Once that’s gone, it all is. Crossing my fingers for you, Britain, and supporting your anti-monarchy movement from here in America. We know the feeling.
Good to see these folks weren’t detained as that fellow with the blank piece of paper was a short while ago.
@ BeanieBean, Ikr? A man is detained for holding a blank piece of paper??? They are showing themselves to be the bullies that they are, while punishing others for sharing their opinions.
Couldn’t happen to a more deserving turd.Well I guess it would be perfection if prince and princess buttons do nothings also got the same greetings
Agree!!!! They should all be met with the same scrutiny as KC3 and Cowmilla. They are the next ones to be in their shoes but are still benefiting from the taxpayers!!!
I do wish that Graham Smith and his group never give up in sending the message loud and clear!!!
Charles needs to stop g u r n i n g and trying to act cute
He probably had a temper tantrum when he returned home.
Hide your pens.
Tessa I’m glad he hasn’t got a corgi! Because lord knows where he would have kicked that to, and I expect the rage monster was screaming in the palace as well, asking why the police were allowing this to happen!! I’m so glad more and more People over here are waking up to the fact that the Royal family are the biggest benefit scroungers on the planet. And I’m soooo looking forward to seeing Billy bully and botox barbies next visit to Cornwall where I live. I’m going to give them such a “lovely” welcome!!!
He’s such an awkward weirdo. How clueless can you be about going empty handed after your lazy sin and his wife were eviscerated for doing that very thing? They are such a dim hardheaded bunch and the sticking the tongue out while laughing thing is gross.
“… after your lazy 𝘀𝗶𝗻 and his wife were eviscerated…”
Either intentionally clever – or the most perfect typo ever.
Lol @ Scooby Gang – I know right??! Love it @girl_ninja
To be fair to Charles (though it grieves me!) he has already helped donate 800 fridges and freezers to the Felix Project. This project has stored enough food for 30 million meals with its blast freezers. Charles used this visit to highlight that the big supermarkets can donate out of date food to the Felix Project and he urged them to do so, therefore moving towards no food waste.
I wonder if his heir will learn a lesson from this visit…….??
That’s actually a worthy project and the type of thing worth highlighting. Which is the point of these visits. Too bad the press isn’t doing a better job on that front.
He gets the funds from the Duchy of Lancaster every year. He could donate now when the weather is cold, children are going hungry, and food banks can’t keep up with the demand. That was last year.
The Felix Project is an amazing organisation. At an event, I met and spoke with the person who sits in the House of Lords whose entire purpose is to help those in need. They strongly lobbied him to donate cash for the fridges/freezers. He doesn’t get a cookie here. He didn’t do the work to understand what was needed to support those in need, after he was strongly influenced, he wrote a cheque. The family truly serves no purpose.
Unless they’re dropping off food royals and politicians should stop visiting foodbanks. As for the protests I think they would’ve been more effective if the authorities didn’t know they were coming to protest.
Absolutely, sadly we all know they exist and their numbers continue to rise. Promoting ways in which people can contribute to food banks, that would be helpful. Sadly yet again it means those with the means are being effectively taxed by the Tories who refuse to redistribute wealth more equally in this country but what’s new?
And by ‘this with the means’ I don’t mean the millionaires, I mean the regular folk who have something to spare each month and choose to use that to support others who are struggling.
When I interned at United Way, I learned that most of the money that goes to charity came from working and middle class people, and by a rather wide margin. Rich people needed fancy dinners and presents to give anything, and then not only did they give a far smaller percentage of their income than normal people, but it added up to a heck of a lot less. The pizza parties put on by unions in auto plants, with tables for donations, did a lot more good. Plus then we didn’t have to deal with rich people.
@Emily_c — I was involved with The March of Dimes charity many years ago and was pretty shocked when I realized the donations from regular people like me outstripped the lavish galas and formal dinners they held where rich folk paid hundreds of dollars for a ticket but otherwise did nothing. The money spent to rent the venue, provide a top-shelf dinner, champagne and party favours ate up a lot of the proceeds.
Sarah, I’m a pensioner with cancer and a husband who has early onset dementia. He’s not to bad at the moment but we both know what’s coming. I get taken shopping every 2 weeks as it’s tiring and difficult for me, but I still look for things like “buy one get one free”, or other special offers so that I can contribute a little bit. But these out of touch Royals could do so much and seem to chose to do NOTHING, but hey, they do TAKE over one hundred million from the UK tax payer each year!!! How noble of them!!
@MaryPester, wishing you both the best 🙏💗🙏
I bet some of the monarchists there were hired once they learned a protest was planned. And his ” happy baby smile” with dangling tongue is distasteful and unregal.
I know the incompetence shouldn’t surprise me at this point, but I just can’t fucking believe that he’d show up empty-handed after William and Kate just caught so much shit for that very thing. How thick are the walls of their echo chambers, that they’re apparently THAT oblivious to bad press?! At least have someone do a damn Starbucks run for the volunteers or something, FFS.
If tabloids are the only newspapers they read, it’s not surprising they are so oblivious to bad PR these empty visits get. Add to this their “golden” advisers…
Seriously, they cleaned up ALL those Paddington Bears and brought them to nursery schools – even making a whole (rather cute) video about it – but they can’t muster up some canned beans and jars of peanut butter for a food bank?! It’s not that hard, people.
Maybe Chuck thought a food bank was a place where you go to WITHDRAW food.
I can’t tell if its because they don’t want to be expected to always bring something (the horror!) or if they just dont care, or a combination of the two.
I said this when W&K visited their food bank a few weeks ago but it could be SO helpful to list things that food banks actually want. Camilla could have even given an “interview” to a RR as they were arriving saying something casual like “well we called and asked what they needed most and they actually said evaporated milk to go with breakfast cereal, so we have a case of milk with us” or something. Actually use the visit as a chance to raise awareness of what food banks actually want. Bring cake mix and veg oil and canned frosting so someone can make a birthday cake for their child. etc.
Alas, here we are.
I am still amazed at how dumb they are. Charles is supposed to be slightly smarter.
I’m amazed that they weren’t removed before KC got there. Did they run in at the last minute or hide the signs until he arrived?
They asked for permission to protest. They were allowed to protest hence Charles knew they going to be there and exactly how to avoid them.
Okay thanks I was confused why they were allowed to stay while that one holding up a blank sign at the wank thing was not allowed. So u have to get permission? I’m assuming permission can be denied too though right? Like when do they allow or not allow peaceful protestors?
Even if he knew the protests were coming, I’m glad he had to see it. Not everyone is enamored with the monarchy and there is no mystique or glamour left.
Yay the protesting has begun. It’s starting small but hopefully will continue to gain in size and strength. Abolish the monarchy.
Yes @ Susan Collins!!! I do hope that the grow in size and become louder and angrier about the grifters and their constant need to steal from everyone!!
150 years ago, Charles’ tongue-laugh would probably start a fashion. Men would be tongue-laughing all over England as a way to emulate the king.
He has a bizarre life-long relationship with his tongue. Strange and grotesque. I’ve never seen anyone else do these things with their tongue… (check out tthe tongue play in that interview of him in his 20s…. yuck.).
Love how Meghan was lambasted by the press for sticking out her tongue, but not a peep when Chuckles does it! 🙄
Huh?
“Meghan was lambasted by the press for sticking out her tongue.” What are u talking about?
The press had body language ‘experts’ go over photos and they judged she was trying to get attention. Just google ‘Meghan markle tongue’. It’s sad but true.
Brit media uses ‘body language experts’ and wants to be taken seriously??? Frankly, given my hunch that BRFCo’s need for positive PR is what’s base driver of BM horridness, I wouldn’t be surprised to discover BRFCo has dictated codes of conduct for ‘body language experts’ to receive BRFCo imprimatur.
LOL — and ew — at the rogue tongue thing. Twitter diagnosed him yesterday with tardive dyskinesia, which is interesting but I think it’s just as likely he’s a gross old man trying to be cute. Whatever the truth, he needs a self-awareness chip in the worst way.
Oh no, he doesn’t have TD, he’s never really done this before. This guy’s been photographed all his life & these tongue-y smiles/laughs are fairly recent. He’s just over the moon at being king, I guess.
Charles started acting cute and mugs for cameras and gas been doing this for years
They are so out of touch they probably think a food bank is a place people collect investments they made in the produce market.
This guy is a poser he got permission to protest, the police arrest people with blank pieces of paper.
He is the same tool that went after Sussex Royal charities saying they were using the charity to fund Travelyst and some others.
Then he was left with egg on his face when the charity commission found no evidence and then gave a half ass apology.
Top comment post here! Dude is a royalist whose Twitter mostly consists of being critical to Harry and Meghan’s work. This man is a shill and has been called out by multiple accounts that he called the police to get permission to protest so Charles could off set the last protestor being arrested. Con job indeed
Republic did a really good job here. The banners were simple and eye-catching, and made it into pretty much every press photo. They got plenty of coverage, including in the Mail (!).
The “crowds” were pathetic. About 100 people at most.
Very interesting how the mood is shifting since TQ died.
I think a lot depends on where he is. I have a friend who always tries to make it to a bunch of these kind of engagements and take photos. He’s gotten great ones at the jubilee, the funeral, the royal weddings, Christmas walks, etc. Charles and Camilla had an event a few days ago going to meet with the Bangladeshi community in Brick lane-Shoreditch. There was beautiful weather, which could’ve played a factor, but he said there ‘were so many people there’ and they were very enthusiastic.
That photo of the most privileged face with food bank in the background…saying so much.
It would have been even better if the protesters made a donation.
Binging Walking Dead and up to the season where someone styles themselves king of their little tribe and people call him “your majesty.” At first I’m like this is just bad writing. Even post apocalypse no one is going to buy into this absurd ritual … oh, wait. 🙄
So one of the wealthiest men in the world goes empty handed to a food bank in a country where people are suffering? Explain to me how in the world this is a good look.
It would be great if the protest signs would begin to also highlight that the royals always arrive empty-handed, and the charities wind up spending money on them.
I would be alarmed if Prince Charles had been met with no opposition in the entire UK.
Where would be the opportunity to grow?
There are serious differences amongst thr population that go beyond the norm, based on the need for acquiring power for power sake.
In a solutions based environment, moving forward I hope the splintering groups in this seen before ‘ divide and conquer’ with all its colonial echoes will unite under one purpose.
To have a government that is accountable to the citizens of the state, not the less than one percent.
I think there will be a massive protest during the Clowning and I’m here for it. The obscene inaction by Charles, Camilla, William and Kate, is too offensive to ignore, and instead of reading the room they’re actually ignoring one of the most dire times in England in favour of gracing foodbanks with their mere presence instead of food and donations. Fine, keep in digging yourselves into deeper and deeper holes. The end of the monarchy as we know it is grinding to a long overdue halt.
Wow!!! Didn’t think I’d live to see the day!! The walls are caving in for the monarchy. This is such a proud moment for me I shed a tear! Beautiful
What a beautiful thing to see. I’m here for all of it.
Chucks personality and character are shining through. He looks gross.
Kaiser, loved your “good trouble” reference.
I would have loved to have seen the late, great John Lewis take on these clueless royals. (Meghan, by the way, honored Lewis in her NAACP Image Awards speech last year.)
@Jan, wait, I’m confused by the “poser” thing… so the protests weren’t real? They were BRF planted to get pity or something?