Quakers from Britain and Ireland visited Buckingham Palace on Thursday, 9 March, to exercise their historic right to address the King.
https://www.quaker.org.uk/news-and-events/news/quakers-address-the-monarch-at-buckingham-palace
In their so-called Loyal Address, Quakers thanked the King for speaking out on the environment, emphasising that a just solution to the climate crisis requires disrupting existing economic systems.
Read by Leasa Lambert of the Black, Brown and People of Colour Quaker Fellowship the address observed that Quaker communities welcome trans and gender diverse people.
Noting the Quaker commitment to make reparations for past involvement in slavery, the address said there is a moral imperative on us all to repair the harm done.
It also, as with so many Loyal Addresses over the centuries, reiterated the Quaker peace testimony.
“We may think wars end through force of arms or negotiation, but peace is maintained by building relationships, mutual dependency and shared prosperity," Leasa Lambert read.
The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) are one of just 27 'privileged bodies' which retain the historic right to present an address to the British sovereign in person. Nowadays this right is restricted to significant occasions in the life of the monarch.
The last time Quakers addressed the monarch in this way was in 2012, when the then Queen, Elizabeth II, celebrated her Diamond Jubilee. The first was in the late 17th century.
Read the Loyal Address in full (PDF)
Quaker Leasa Lambert hands King 'Loyal Address' bearing witness to Quaker concerns on climate crisis and moral imperative to make reparations for harms of slavery, photo credit: Ian Jones