Anti-royal protesters harass King Charles when he visits Westminster Abbey

Anti-monarchy protesters took to the streets of London this afternoon to harass King Charles as he attends the Commonwealth Day ceremony.

Activists from campaign group Republic gathered outside Westminster Abbey ahead of the monarch’s presence for today’s service.

It was the king’s first time attending the memorial as head of state, with the 74-year-old monarch delivering a message from the abbey’s Great Pulpit.

But protesters armed with signs reading “Not My King” gathered outside the building in their latest demonstration against the royal family and chanted the phrase when Charles arrived.

It comes just days after they booed the royal king and queen consort when they visited Colchester in Essex.

The group, which has staged demonstrations against His Majesty ahead of his coronation in May, has labeled the king as “just another dude in a suit who spends a lot of our money.”

Activists from the Republic (pictured) gathered with signs reading ‘not my king’ as part of their latest protest against the monarch ahead of his coronation in May

Republic chief executive Graham Smith said Charles should be criticized like any other politician, but in an attempt to explain why the group staged more protests against the king than his late mother, he admitted: “The queen enjoyed reverence and it kept people from criticizing her. straight away. We were aware that harassing her would not go down well.”

Meet three of the team involved in Republic

GRAHAM SMITH, Managing Director

Graham Smith, 48, is arguably the most famous Republican in Britain, campaigning against the monarchy for 20 years. His group, Republic, was founded in 1983, but has gained momentum and following in recent years after being formally incorporated as a public company in 2006. ‘, but admitted that harassing the Queen ‘wouldn’t have gone well’.

GULLY BUJAK, protest organizer

Gully Bujak is a veteran climate change protest organizer convicted of criminal acts during Extinction Rebellion eco-protests. She is also a privately trained model and actress and a former junior head girl at Stover School in Devon – where her father used to be headmaster.

BEN CLINTON

Ben Clinton is the campaign coordinator of Labor for a Republic, a Republican pressure group within the Labor Party. He has previously written for the Morning Star and is a councilor on the Parish Council in Peasmarsh, East Sussex. He also spoke out in favor of proportional representation at the PvdA conference in 2021.

Mr Smith – who was spotted outside Westminster Abbey today – told MailOnline last week: ‘Charles is a completely different person. He just inherited the throne and inheritance is a problem.

“We think now is the right time to push our message. We did protest against the Queen, as in the jubilee year 2012.

“Other people certainly had more respect for the queen. The queen enjoyed reverence and it kept people from criticizing her directly. We were aware harassing her would not go down well.

“But everything has changed, it’s a completely different monarchy. This has changed the nature of the campaign.’

The group believes that hereditary public office goes against every democratic principle and ultimately wants to abolish monarchy.

Instead, they want a head of state elected by the public who keeps politicians in check.

Mr Smith continued: ‘If you think politicians are fair game for harassment and protests, you should see Charles in the same way. The queen felt it was real. Charles is just a dude in a suit who spends a lot of our money.

He should be treated like a politician. Heads of state should be fair game for criticism.”

The display comes as senior members of the royal family gather with the king at the abbey where he will be crowned in two months.

The Queen Consort and the Prince and Princess of Wales will be in attendance, along with the new Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, the Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence.

Afterwards, Charles, Camilla and members of the Royal Family in attendance will receive the Commonwealth Secretary General, High Commissioners, Foreign Ministers and other members of the Commonwealth community at a reception at Buckingham Palace.

The annual service was the scene of Harry and the Duchess of Sussex’s last official public engagement as senior working royals in 2020.

The couple, who have stepped down for a new life in the US, have yet to confirm whether they will attend the King’s coronation, but have received email correspondence from Charles’s office about this.

Republic CEO Graham Smith (pictured addressing the crowd) said Charles should be criticized like any other politician

Protesters have stepped up their protests in recent weeks and have been reported harassing the royal family. Pictured is a protester in London on Monday

The King and Queen’s consort were met with a mix of boos and cheers when they visited Colchester last week. Pictured are protesters outside Westminster Abbey in Londo on Monday

Crowds of well-wishers had gathered in Colchester (pictured) earlier this month to greet the monarch, but among them were anti-monarchy demonstrators waving ‘Not My King’ banners and shouting at Charles (pictured) to ‘come over and talk to your critics’

Harry’s controversial autobiography Spare, published at the beginning of the year, contained claims that William physically assaulted him and that Charles did not hug him when he told him of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales.

Now head of the Commonwealth, Charles is following in the late Queen’s footsteps after she successfully lobbied for him to take the role.

A Commonwealth Peace Flag will be carried in the procession of Commonwealth member flags to mark 2023 as the Year of Commonwealth Peace.

The protest in Colchester was the last to be organized by Republic, who have vowed to hold a series of protests leading up to and during the coronation

King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla at Colchester Castle to mark the recently granted city status

King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla greet some schoolchildren outside Colchester Castle

The service includes musical performances from saxophonist Yolanda Brown, West End stars Roshani Abbey and Nuwan Hugh Perera, and the all-female Amalgamation Choir from Cyprus.

Guests of honor among the 2,000-member Congregation include the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, the Prime Minister of Samoa, High Commissioners, leading politicians and dignitaries from across the UK and the Commonwealth.

Also in attendance are athletes from the home countries who took part in the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham last summer, as well as faith leaders and more than 750 schoolchildren and young people from across the UK.

The service will be broadcast live on BBC One.