King Charles and Queen Camilla’s visit to Cardiff on Thursday was supposed to be a celebration of Welsh democracy. Instead, their arrival at the Senedd was met by protesters challenging the monarchy over Prince Andrew, Jeffrey Epstein and royal accountability.

The royal couple attended the ceremonial opening of the seventh Senedd, marking Charles’s first time performing the duty as monarch.

However, outside the building, anti-monarchy campaigners gathered with republican banners, chanting against the King and demanding greater scrutiny of the royal family.

According to Nation.Cymru, campaigners had organised a demonstration outside the Welsh Parliament, urging elected representatives to challenge the presence of an unelected monarch at the opening of a democratic institution.

Republican campaigners urged Senedd Members to walk out during Charles’s speech and join the demonstration outside. Protesters argued that hereditary privilege had no place in a modern democracy and questioned why Welsh representatives should participate in a ceremony centred on the British monarch.

The demonstrations also come amid renewed scrutiny of Charles’s younger brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, whose connections to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein continue to attract attention.

Protesters Want Answers About Andrew

Republic has repeatedly called for a Royal Epstein Inquiry to establish what King Charles, Prince William and other senior members of the royal family knew about allegations involving Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.

Those demands have become particularly relevant following recent developments in the police investigation. On October 8, Reuters reported that a court had quashed the search warrants police used to raid Andrew’s properties after authorities acknowledged legal errors. However, the investigation into alleged misconduct in public office remains ongoing. Andrew denies wrongdoing.

Then came another revelation. Reuters reported that Charles had contributed approximately £1.5 million from his private income towards repairing Royal Lodge, Andrew’s former Windsor residence.

The financial arrangement emerged amid questions about Andrew’s departure from the property and the costs associated with terminating his lease.

Charles may regard helping his brother financially as a private family matter. But when that brother is under police investigation and the monarchy receives substantial public funding, questions about transparency are hardly unreasonable.

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The Monarchy’s Millions Are Back in the Spotlight

The timing of Thursday’s protests is particularly interesting. Just one day earlier, on October 14, the House of Lords debated legislation concerning the Sovereign Grant, the public funding provided to support the monarchy’s official duties.

The grant currently stands at £137.9 million, with legislation intended to reduce it to £99.9 million from the next financial year. And this is hardly the first time royal finances have attracted scrutiny.

In November 2024, Channel 4’s Dispatches and The Sunday Times published a joint investigation revealing how estates controlled by King Charles and Prince William generated millions through agreements with public institutions.

The investigation uncovered rental arrangements involving the NHS, armed forces and state schools. Among the findings was an £11.4 million agreement over 15 years for an NHS trust to store ambulances in a warehouse belonging to Charles’s Duchy of Lancaster.

Prince William’s Duchy of Cornwall also collected more than £1 million from the Royal Navy for its use of jetties along the Cornish coastline.

Although these were commercial agreements, they demonstrate why questions about the monarchy’s finances deserve serious scrutiny rather than automatic dismissal as hostility towards royalty.

Meanwhile, Harry and Meghan Receive a Different Reception

Thursday also offered an interesting contrast. While Charles and Camilla faced protesters in Cardiff, Prince Harry and Meghan Sussex were carrying out engagements in Nottingham.

The Sussexes’ return to Britain has generated significant media attention, particularly following their public interactions with supporters.

It is worth remembering how quickly sections of the British press have amplified allegations of hostility towards Harry and Meghan.

Yet Charles and Camilla are now facing public demonstrations involving questions about police investigations, royal finances and the monarchy’s constitutional position.

The contrast is striking. There is also something rather revealing about the criticism directed at the protesters themselves. Some commentators questioned whether demonstrators should be arrested, despite peaceful protest being a legitimate part of democratic expression.

Others questioned the security arrangements surrounding Charles’s arrival. Of course, royal security is necessary. But it should not become a means of ensuring that the monarch is insulated from peaceful public criticism.

Charles was opening a democratically elected parliament. The people standing outside questioning hereditary power were exercising their own democratic rights.

And given the continuing questions surrounding Andrew, Royal Lodge and the monarchy’s finances, those demands for accountability are unlikely to disappear simply because the royal car has driven away.

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