The Met Police has expressed ‘regret’ over the arrests of six anti-monarchy protesters on coronation day. Officers even apologised in person to Graham Smith, the leader of the anti-Monarchy group Republic. But so far, no-one has said sorry to me.
I’m a middle-aged dad, and not much of a rebel, but feel strongly about wanting an elected head of state. So, at 7.45am last Saturday, on the day of the coronation, I was part of a dozen-strong Republic sub-group, stationed on the Mall just opposite the Duke of York steps.
The plan was simple. Nine of us, wearing yellow Republic T-shirts, would hold metre-square placards, each containing a letter of the phrase ‘NOT MY KING’. At the precise moment the gold-encrusted carriage passes, we intended to raise our banners, ideally in the right order (thankfully we seem an educated bunch), while chanting the slogan: ‘Not My King’.
Was this all a ruse to keep us out the way and prevent us crashing the party?
Despite the drizzle, the mood in the crowd is expectant.
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