What did King George IV's profits from slavery in Grenada reveal?

According to new research, King George IV, who ruled Britain until 1830, received a £1,000 payment (over £103,000 today) from Crown-owned estates in Grenada that used enslaved labor, suggesting the monarchy directly profited from the slave trade.

How have the findings about King George IV's slavery profits impacted the monarchy?

The revelations have heightened pressure on the British monarchy to confront its historical links to slavery, as no monarch has publicly acknowledged the Crown's direct ownership and profiting from enslaved labor in the Caribbean.

What is the global context around the monarchy's ties to slavery?

The findings come amid growing momentum for reparations for slavery, especially across the Caribbean and Africa, with some European leaders accused of resisting even opening the conversation.

Home / Arts and Entertainment / King George IV's Slavery Profits Uncovered, Pressuring Monarchy

King George IV's Slavery Profits Uncovered, Pressuring Monarchy

7 Aug

•

Summary

Independent scholar uncovers 1823-24 payment to King George IV from Grenadian plantations
Payment equivalent to over £103,000 today, funding monarch's "lavish lifestyle"
Findings heighten calls for monarchy to confront its historical links to slavery

According to a new investigation, Britain's King George IV, who ruled from 1820 to 1830, directly benefited from the profits of enslaved labor on plantations in Grenada. Independent scholar Desirée Baptiste has uncovered a document from 1823-24 at the National Archives in London, revealing a £1,000 payment (equivalent to around £103,132 today) from two Crown-owned estates in Grenada to the king's private funds.

The findings, verified by experts, suggest the monarchy's historical links to the transatlantic slave trade run deeper than previously acknowledged. University of Manchester professor Edmond Smith, who is supervising a PhD study on the royal family's role in slavery, believes this payment "might well just be the tip of the iceberg" when it comes to the Crown's profits from the exploitation of enslaved people.

The revelations come amid growing global momentum for reparations for slavery, especially across the Caribbean and Africa. While King Charles has expressed sorrow over slavery, no British monarch has publicly acknowledged the Crown's direct ownership and profiting from enslaved labor in the Caribbean. Experts say these new findings will only heighten the pressure on the monarchy to confront this dark chapter of its past.

Disclaimer: This story has been auto-aggregated and auto-summarised by a computer program. This story has not been edited or created by the Feedzop team.