While millions celebrated the proclamation of Charles III in the United Kingdom, others were denouncing the new monarch with the hashtag “#NotMyKing.”
After the death of Queen Elizabeth II at the age of 96 on Thursday, September 8, her son Charles automatically became the next king, and his formal proclamation was held on Saturday. While the British public have mourned the late monarch and celebrated the new King, others have voiced their anger.
The phrase “Not My King” has been trending on social media, reminiscent of “Not My President,” which was frequently used during the Obama and Trump administrations by political opponents.
People using the hashtag shared criticisms of the monarchy, of Charles himself, and a notable video of the new king displaying a lack of “manners” during his proclamation ceremony.
One of the biggest examples of the hashtag was shared by the Twitter user @SymonHill who stated that he was “arrested” in Oxford, England, for voicing his opposition to the proclamation of King Charles III.
“Can we be arrested simply for expressing an opinion in public? I was arrested under the Police Bill passed earlier this year. This is an outrageous assault on democracy. #NotMyKing,” he wrote.
Writing online on Sunday, @SymonHill further explained his version of the alleged events. “When the proclamation was read out, I called out “Who elected him?”. 2 or 3 people told me to shut up. I responded (with an opinion, not an insult). Security guards grabbed me. Police took me off them and arrested me. I’ll write a fuller account when I’m a bit calmer. #NotMyKing.”
I was arrested today in #Oxford after I voiced my opposition to the proclamation of “#CharlesIII“. Can we be arrested simply for expressing an opinion in public? I was arrested under the Police Bill passed earlier this year. This is an outrageous assault on democracy.#NotMyKing
— Symon Hill (@SymonHill) September 11, 2022
The Twitter account @RepublicStaff, a non-profit organization aiming to replace the British monarchy with an elected head of state, also used the hashtag. “Charles has just dodged a multi-million pound inheritance tax,” they wrote. “New monarchs are exempted from paying a tax the rest of us must pay, at significant cost to the taxpayer.”
Various figures have been put forward for exactly how much Charles will inherit from his late mother. Business Insider claims the total figure he’ll receive is around $750 million, and he is exempt from paying British inheritance tax as stated in a rule set by the U.K. government in 1993.
Others raised the issue that the U.K. has seen two new leaders introduced in the space of a week, without a public vote.
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“In the space of three days, we have a Prime Minister that 99.83% of the population never voted for, and a king and prince that 100% of the population never voted for,” wrote @dominicjroberts.
The new British Prime Minister Liz Truss was elected her members of the Conservative Party, not in a general election. “The UK is many things, but a democracy is not one of them. #NotMyKing #NotMyPrince #NotMyPM #AbolishTheMonarchy,” the Twitter user added.
Others continued to discuss the short video of King Charles III during his proclamation where he gestures for someone to move items off his desk.
“What a horrible bloke,” @ainger13 wrote as they called for the monarchy to be abolished. “All respect to the Queen but it’s time the monarchy went, they’re just inbred ancestors of bullies who killed for power and believe they’re better than others,” they wrote.
“Royalty summed up in one short video clip. Peasant clear my desk,” jibed @camdentown, going on to ask what he’s like behind closed doors when the cameras aren’t on him.