CEO Graham Smith has criticised hereditary power as being "absurd", and monarchy as an outdated political institution that "abuses its position, abuses public money and which gives politicians too much power." Following the
death of Elizabeth II, Republic briefly suspended public comments out of respect for the late Queen, and then returned to campaigning following the
proclamation of accession of Charles III. Republic had stated in 2016 that after the death of
Elizabeth II it would mount a campaign for a referendum on the future of the monarchy. The plan was to do this during the period between the Queen's funeral and the coronation of her successor, though this did not occur.
Royal secrecy In December 2015, Republic published Royal Secrecy: A Report on Royal Secrecy and Power. The report argues that the "question of royal secrecy also presents a conundrum for the monarchy. In this modern world of highly connected citizens and networks that circumvent traditional sources of information continued secrecy will gradually erode public trust in the institution. Yet the fear of transparency so apparent in the palace’s behaviour is very real." Since 2015 a number of academics and biographers have called for an end to royal secrecy, with
Index on Censorship releasing a new report in January 2023.
Royal finances Republic asserts that there is a lack of
transparency and accountability with respect to the funding of the monarchy. The group believes the royal finances should be independently audited by the
National Audit Office, like all other central government departments, and that the monarchy's exemption from the
Freedom of Information Act should be removed. Republic's response to the annual royal finance reports is reported in the media. In 2017, Republic published its Royal Finances Report, which estimated the total cost of the monarchy to be at least £345m, once additional costs such as royal security, revenues from the Duchies and costs to local councils had been taken into account. Republic's calculations do not factor in the profits of the
Crown Estate, which are transferred to national funds in return for the
civil list (a payment superseded by the
Sovereign Grant in 2012); they assert that the Crown Estate is the property of the monarch only in their capacity as Head of State, and therefore state property.
Prince Charles and the Duchy of Cornwall In May 2007, Republic persuaded
Brian Iddon MP to table an
early day motion about the lack of transparency in the
Duchy of Cornwall's accounts. In 2013, lobbying by Republic resulted in
William Nye, Prince Charles's private secretary, appearing before the
Public Accounts Committee to explain the Duchy's tax arrangements. It also called on the
British Government to stop subsidising Charles' £16.3m annual income through grants and tax breaks. In 2015, Republic launched a campaign and petition, Take Back the Duchy, to abolish the Duchy of Cornwall and transfer its land and assets to the
Crown Estate. In December 2015, a
freedom of information request by Republic revealed that Prince Charles had routine access to confidential government papers. The campaign began with an
Early Day Motion and was taken up by human rights lawyer
Louise Christian.
2011 Royal wedding In advance of the 2011
wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton, the tourist organisation
VisitBritain said that the event would be good for tourism. In response, Republic made a freedom of information request for VisitBritain documents which indicated that royal weddings had in the past had a negative effect on tourism.
BBC coverage of the monarchy Republic has claimed that the
BBC displays bias in relation to its reporting of royal matters. The documentary
The Diamond Queen was criticised for this: in a letter to the chairman of the
BBC Trust,
Chris Patten, Republic's chief executive, Graham Smith, argued that the programme breached BBC guidelines on impartiality. In his letter, Smith claimed the series was subject to "distortions, half-truths and fabrications".
Requests for investigating and military discharging of Prince Andrew In March 2016, Smith filed a formal report to the police, requesting an investigation into allegations that
Prince Andrew, Duke of York had caused damage to sensor-operated gates in
Windsor Great Park by forcing them open in his
Range Rover to avoid going an extra mile on his way home. The Thames Valley force dismissed the reports due to lack of details. On 13 January 2022, Republic released In the letter, which was sent from Republic's London address, the signatories expressed "upset and anger" in the wake of a ruling (made the day before by the New York judge
Lewis A. Kaplan) that Prince Andrew must face a
civil lawsuit in the U.S. for alleged sexual assault brought by
Virginia Giuffre, and they argued that it was "untenable" for the Duke of York to retain his positions in the armed forces. The civil case was settled out of court in 2022, but in January 2024 previously-sealed court documents relating to Virginia Giuffre were published. In response to these Republic asked the
Metropolitan Police to reopen its investigations into the allegations and called on King Charles to make a public statement.
Coronation of Charles III Prior to the
coronation of Charles III and Camilla on 6 May 2023, Republic announced plans to hold demonstrations at
Parliament Square in London against the ceremony, citing opposition to the extravagance of the event amidst the
UK cost of living crisis. On the day of the coronation the
Metropolitan Police took action against the protests, arresting a reported 52 people, including members of Republic. Republic's leader, Graham Smith, was held in police custody for nearly 16 hours. In addition, hundreds of Republic placards were reportedly seized. In an official statement, Republic condemned the arrests as "a direct attack on our democracy and the fundamental rights of every person in the country". Republic had previously held a number of discussions with senior Met officers, making clear their plans, which the Met had said they had no objections to. Police defended their actions stating that they had confiscated lock-on devices which are banned for use in protests under the
Public Order Act 2023. ==Legal context==