British monarchy involvement in transatlantic slave trade

Historical research from the Register of British Slave Traders has uncovered evidence of the British monarchy’s involvement in the transatlantic slave trade. Archives from the South Sea Company reveal that directors instructed agents in the Americas to brand enslaved Africans with red-hot metal marks featuring the emblem of the British Crown to distinguish them as company property. These instructions were reportedly issued despite medical warnings that such branding could be life-threatening.

Further investigation into historical records indicates that various monarchs held direct financial or political interests in slave-trading entities. James II served as governor and shareholder of the Royal African Company, while Queen Anne granted the South Sea Company the ‘asiento’ agreement, which provided exclusive rights to supply thousands of enslaved Africans to Spanish colonies annually. Subsequent monarchs, including George I and George II, also held investments in the company.

These findings have emerged during intensifying international debates regarding historical recognition and reparations, involving petitions from Jamaican delegations and conferences in Ghana.