George IV profited from slavery in Grenada, research discovers

Grenada has vowed to step up its pursuit of an apology and reparations from King Charles after new research revealed that King George IV personally profited from slavery on the Caribbean island.

- Natricia Duncan

The research by an independent scholar, Desirée Baptiste, shows that George IV, who ruled for a decade until 1830, received profits from enslaved labour on Grenadian plantations – a finding experts say heightens pressure on the monarchy to confront its history.

Baptiste found an 1823-24 document at the National Archives in London revealing a £1,000 payment (about £103,000 today) from two estates in Grenada owned by the crown where hundreds of enslaved people worked in the 18th and 19th centuries. The funds were paid into George's private coffers, and contributed to his "lavish lifestyle", said Baptiste, a researcher on colonialism and transatlantic slavery who has roots in Grenada.