Anti-monarchy protesters in Cardiff Bay chanted “Not My King” and held banners as King Charles arrived at the Senedd for the official opening of the seventh Senedd on 15 October 2026.
Protesters held signs reading “down with the crown” and “not my king” as the royal couple arrived just after noon. Others called for the role of Prince of Wales to be scrapped, and one person held a picture of the King's brother Andrew, with a sign asking: “Charles, what did you know?”
Vocal protests and counter-chants
A small group jeered and shouted as the King arrived, while some supporters shouted back, telling them to “go away”. The protesters gathered holding a yellow banner reading: “Abolish the Monarchy”.
As the 21-gun salute took place, one protester shouted: “What a waste of money. There are people sleeping on the streets of Cardiff and you’re wasting money on this f**king fantasy”.
Police manage protest under Public Order Act
The protest had been advertised in advance, and specialist police officers were present monitoring the group. Some protesters were also calling for the Crown Estate to be devolved to Wales.
After the noisy greeting, when the royals went inside for the formal proceedings, police tried to move the protest to a designated area. They said one man breached that order and was arrested.
A police spokeswoman said: “South Wales Police aims to facilitate peaceful protest while minimising disruption to the public.”
Conditions were put in place to manage the protest under Section 14 of the Public Order Act, meaning the demonstration was moved to a designated area. The spokeswoman added: “One man was arrested just before 1pm on suspicion of breaching the Section 14 order.”
