British Monarchy linked to transatlantic slave trade

New historical research has uncovered evidence of the British monarchy’s direct involvement in the transatlantic slave trade. Investigations into the South Sea Company archives reveal that enslaved Africans were branded with a red-hot royal crown to distinguish them as company property. Company directors reportedly dismissed medical warnings that such branding could be fatal, viewing it as an effective method of identification.

Historical records show that various monarchs held direct financial or political interests in slave-trading entities. James II, acting as governor and shareholder of the Royal African Company, oversaw one of the most significant trafficking operations in history. Additionally, Queen Anne granted the South Sea Company the ‘asiento’ agreement, which provided the exclusive right to supply approximately 4,800 enslaved Africans annually to Spanish colonies. Subsequent monarchs, including George I and George II, also held investments in the company.

These findings emerge amidst intensifying international debates regarding reparations and historical recognition, highlighted by recent petitions from Jamaican delegations and conferences held in Ghana.