Prince William heckled by protesters at Commonwealth Day service: ‘Not my king’

‘Down with the monarchy, William!’ said one protester outside Westminster Abbey on Monday

A video has shown footage of Prince William being heckled by protesters outside Westminster Abbey at a service celebrating the Commonwealth.

On Monday 13 March, the Prince and Princess of Wales attended the annual Commonwealth Day service along with King Charles III, the Queen Consort, the new Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, the Princess Royal and her husband Sir Timothy Laurence.

In a viral video posted to TikTok, Prince William and Princess Kate were seen exiting a car as rows of anti-monarchy protesters stood outside Westminster Abbey, holding signs which read: “Not My King”

A member of the protest is then heard shouting at William over a megaphone: “You’re never going to be our king!”

“Down with the monarchy, William!” they added.

However, the heir to the British throne ignored the protesters as he and his wife headed inside Westminster Abbey.

The anti-monarchy demonstration was organised by a group of activists known as Republic. According to the group’s website, Republic is a grassroots campaign which aims to “see the monarchy abolished and the King replaced with an elected, democratic head of state.”

The heckling comes just days after King Charles and Queen Consort were met with “Not My King” signs from the same group during a royal engagement in Colchester, England, last Monday. Republic has gained new momentum since the passing of the late Queen Elizabeth II. Now, they have amped up protesting efforts ahead of the King’s coronation, which takes place on 6 May.

Anti-monarchy demonstrators protest against the royal family outside Westminster Abbey on 13 March 2023 (AFP via Getty Images)

“If you think politicians are fair game for heckling and protests, you should see Charles in the same way,” Graham Smith, Republic’s CEO, recently told the DailyMail. “The Queen felt like the real deal. Charles is just a bloke in a suit who’s spending lots of our money.”

Anti-monarchy demonstrators protest against the royal family outside Westminster Abbey on 13 March 2023 (AFP via Getty Images)

In his first Commonwealth Day service address as monarch, King Charles III paid tribute to his “beloved mother”, describing how Commonwealth Day was a moment of pride for Queen Elizabeth, who “dedicated her long and remarkable life” in service to the “Commonwealth family”.

Republic plans to protest the King’s coronation at Westminster Abbey on Saturday 6 May.