A new book has unveiled a tense exchange between Boris Johnson and King Charles—then Prince of Wales—over Britain’s colonial legacy.
According to the account, Johnson labeled Charles as “woke” and accused him of being influenced by “woke ideology” after the royal expressed a desire to “acknowledge the evils” of Britain’s colonial past, particularly its involvement in slavery.
The dispute reportedly escalated when he privately condemned the government’s controversial plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda as “appalling.”
Journalist Tim Shipman details how Johnson “went in quite hard” on Charles, exposing a rare clash of perspectives between the former Prime Minister and the monarch.
As head of the Commonwealth, Charles sought to address the ongoing discussions around slavery and colonialism, expressing a desire to acknowledge the harm caused by Britain’s past.
This effort, influenced by the Black Lives Matter movement, reportedly left Johnson frustrated, with the former prime minister accusing the monarchy of being swayed by “woke ideology.”
Johnson is quoted as saying to his communications director, Guto Harri, that he had “gone in pretty hard” on the King for his comments, criticizing him for interfering with government policy.
Though the King is constitutionally required to remain politically neutral, Charles responded, acknowledging his comments, stating, “Well, maybe, inadvertently, without intention, I may have said something.”
