Republic Campaign Limited is an anti-monarchy pressure group in England. The organization seeks to abolish the monarchy in the United Kingdom and, after the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, it began preparing for larger campaigns and demonstrations ahead of the expected coronation of King Charles III in 2023. ¹

Background

Republic Campaign Limited, simply known as Republic, is a membership-based anti-monarchy pressure group based in London, England. It is a not-for-profit company that is registered as a “private company limited by guarantee without share capital” with Companies House, an executive agency of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy of the United Kingdom that registers companies and organizations. Republic is registered as a political organization. ²

Formally, Republic is made up of two organizations: the not-for-profit Republic Campaign Limited, which organizes campaigns and employs staff, and the Republic Campaign Association, an unincorporated association that was created to register members of the organization. Members of the association are also members of Republic. ³

Republic’s goal is to abolish the British monarchy and replace the king with a democratically elected head of state who would represent the people of the United Kingdom independently of the country’s politicians. Republic also claims the monarchy is a “broken institution,” and a democratically elected head of state could help keep “politicians in check.” ⁴

Republic Campaign Limited is a founding member of the Alliance of European Republican Movements (AERM), a network of anti-monarchy organizations from around Europe. AERM was established in 2010 in Stockholm, Sweden. Currently, the network is comprised of anti-monarchy organizations from Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and the U.K. ⁵

Funding

Republic Campaign Limited is registered as a not-for-profit organization with Companies House, the United Kingdom’s registrar of companies and organizations. There is little information on Republic’s finances due to it being based in England, however, the organization receives most of its revenue from membership dues and private individual donations. ⁶

According to filings made to Companies House, Republic Campaign Limited received a total of £8,686 (approximately $10,584) in membership dues in 2018, £1,600 (around $1,949) in 2019, £8,855 (approximately $10,790) in 2020, and £564 (nearly $690) in 2021. ⁷

Anti-Monarchy Protests

Republic coordinates anti-monarchy protests and places billboards with anti-monarchy sentiments across the United Kingdom.

The organization erected large billboards across the United Kingdom in September 2021, some stating that the monarchy is “Secretive. Divisive. Undemocratic,” while others depicted Prince Andrew with the caption: “Wanted: a democratic alternative to the monarchy,” and that “No one is above the law.” ⁸

After the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, Republic’s chief executive officer Graham Smith claimed that the accession of King Charles III was a “game changer,” and that Republic would be preparing for larger campaigns leading up to his coronation, expected between April and June 2023. ⁹

Graham noted that Republic would protest the coronation itself, and will be hiring new staff members, reaching out to “politicians and public figures,” and expanding to launch larger anti-monarchy campaigns in the future. ¹⁰

1. Gartside, Ben. “As Charles takes the throne, republicans plan how to get rid of the monarchy for good.” September 17, 2022. Accessed December 5, 2022. https://inews.co.uk/news/the-accession-is-game-changer-how-republicans-plan-to-fight-back-against-monarchy-under-king-charles-1863027.
2. “REPUBLIC CAMPAIGN LIMITED overview.” GOV.UK. Accessed December 5, 2022. https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/05891072.
3. “About.” Republic, Accessed December 5, 2022. https://www.republic.org.uk/about
4. “Abolishing the Monarchy.” Republic, Accessed December 5, 2022. https://www.republic.org.uk/abolishing_the_monarchy.
5. “Aerm.” Republic, Accessed December 5, 2022. https://www.republic.org.uk/aerm.
6. “REPUBLIC CAMPAIGN LIMITED overview.” GOV.UK. Accessed December 5, 2022. https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/05891072.
7. “REPUBLIC CAMPAIGN LIMITED filing history.” GOV.UK. January 27, 2021. Accessed December 5, 2022. https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/05891072/filing-history.
8. Magee, Zoe. “Prince Andrew becomes 1 target of anti-monarchy campaign in UK.” ABC News. September 16, 2021. Accessed December 5, 2022. https://abcnews.go.com/International/prince-andrew-target-anti-monarchy-campaign-uk/story?id=80054174
9. Gartside, Ben. “As Charles takes the throne, republicans plan how to get rid of the monarchy for good.” September 17, 2022. Accessed December 5, 2022. https://inews.co.uk/news/the-accession-is-game-changer-how-republicans-plan-to-fight-back-against-monarchy-under-king-charles-1863027.
10. Gartside, Ben. “As Charles takes the throne, republicans plan how to get rid of the monarchy for good.” September 17, 2022. Accessed December 5, 2022. https://inews.co.uk/news/the-accession-is-game-changer-how-republicans-plan-to-fight-back-against-monarchy-under-king-charles-1863027.