Podcast Summary: Intelligence Squared

Episode: "How deeply was the British Crown involved in the transatlantic slave trade?"

Guest: Brooke Newman (Author, The Crown’s Silence)
Host: Helen Carr
Date: March 29, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode explores the deep and often hidden ties between the British monarchy and the transatlantic slave trade, based on Brooke Newman’s groundbreaking new book, The Crown’s Silence. The discussion charts the monarchy’s changing role and complicity across centuries, from Elizabeth I through to the era of abolition, and how the Crown’s involvement was not only financial but also deeply symbolic and central to Britain’s colonial ambitions. Newman addresses the challenges of researching royal archives, the persistent silences in the official record, and the political and cultural implications of confronting this legacy today.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Motivation and Origins of the Book (01:22–03:56)

• Brooke Newman’s entry point: Interest in slavery and Atlantic history, with original research on colonial Jamaica.
• Encountered persistent references to monarchs in colonial correspondence but found little about slavery in royal biographies or historiography.
• Aimed to "write the book I wanted to read" which treats the monarchy as principal actors in a centuries-long story interwoven with slavery.
• Quote:

  “In the historiography of monarchy itself, there’s really not very much about slavery... I wrote the book that I wanted to read.” (03:01, Newman)

2. Research Challenges and Royal Archives (04:38–07:15)

• Access to the Royal Archives is difficult (security, red tape, limited material), but not impossible.
• Royal Archives offer surface-level information; deeper research requires state papers, colonial correspondence, and company records (e.g., Royal African Company).
• Evidence and archival material vary depending on the period and reigning monarch.
• Quote:

  “You had to actually be escorted to the toilet. So there was a lot of antiquated things around doing that research.” (05:17, Newman)

3. Confronting Archival Silences (07:15–09:00)

• The book is influenced by Saidiya Hartman’s ideas about archival silence and violence.
• The monarchy’s silence came later; earlier, the Crown openly celebrated involvement in the slave trade.
• Notable Quotes:

  “For a long time, truly, a great doubt has held me, should I be silent or should I speak?” – Queen Elizabeth I, 1566 (08:10, quoted by Carr from Newman’s book)

4. The Elizabethan Era and Early Royal Involvement (09:00–12:57)

• Elizabeth I knowingly facilitated slave-trading ventures (i.e., John Hawkins), exchanging use of naval vessels and royal endorsement for profit.
• Early involvement mirrored broader European competition and emerging imperial ambitions.
• English monarchs joined Iberian powers in seeking profit from Atlantic expansion, pivoting from commodities to slave trading when gold and other products proved elusive.
• Quote:

  “[Elizabeth I] was not the first monarch... to gift merchant groups use of a Royal naval vessel... The key was that in this particular case it was a slaving venture.” (09:30, Newman)

5. Stuart Era: Expansion and the Royal African Company (13:45–18:59)

• The Stuart monarchy inherits a strengthened navy and colonial holdings (notably Jamaica) from Cromwell’s Commonwealth.
• Charles II and James, Duke of York (later James II), directly invested in and patronized the Royal African Company, seeking profits from trade in enslaved Africans after failed attempts to find gold.
• The monarchy’s involvement became both financial and highly symbolic.
• Quote:

  “The crown’s endorsement of the transatlantic slave trade was both material and... symbolic.” (18:59, Newman)

6. Royal Branding and Material Symbols (18:59–22:57)

• Monarchic status was intertwined with slave trade participation, evidenced by court art, coins (elephant and castle on the guinea), and literal branding of enslaved people with royal initials (“RACE” for Royal African Company of England and “DY” for Duke of York).
• Brands were used primarily on ‘castle slaves’ (those kept for company use in forts), persisting into the 18th century even after the Stuart era.
• Quotes:

  “It's not just in coinage or in art. It's also part of... literally putting their brand on people's bodies.” (20:12, Newman)
  “This is the property, so-called property, of this company.” (22:05, Newman)

7. Historians’ Reactions and Emotional Impact (22:57–23:22)

• Encountering documentation of royal involvement, especially branding, felt “really heavy” and was upsetting.
• Newman notes some in Britain still downplay or deny the evidence, indicating broader societal reluctance to confront the Crown’s past.
• Quote:

  “It is significant that you have members of the royal family... investing in slavery... being willing to essentially embrace a system that they know involves selling people and they're fine. They're actually proud of it at the time.” (23:36, Newman)

8. Silences, Evidence, and Voices of the Enslaved (28:35–29:40)

• Newman’s book tries to foreground enslaved voices, especially as such records become more available in the later 18th and early 19th centuries.
• Highlights the need to read “against the grain” to reconstruct lived experiences from limited archival traces.
• Quote:

  “I really tried to prioritize the voices of enslaved people as much as I could in the book...” (29:12, Newman)

9. The Shift to Abolition and British National Memory (32:39–34:14)

• The monarchs’ narrative shifted post-abolition to celebrate their role in ending the slave trade, overshadowing centuries of culpability.
• Abolition has been co-opted as a point of national pride, obscuring the need for accountability.
• Quote:

  “What we want is something stable and secure. And on the one hand, that's what the monarchy provides—this illusion of stability.” (33:16, Newman)

10. Modern Politics, Memory, and Accountability (35:05–47:29)

• The question of slavery and monarchy is entangled in modern culture wars and politics; serious institutional acknowledgement or reparations remain elusive.
• Institutional attempts (universities, Church of England, Lloyd’s of London, National Trust) have faced backlash.
• Calls for monarchy to embrace transparency, accountability, and potentially reparative action as public opinion shifts.
• Quotes:

  “We're not yet at the part of the story where we've reached a new chapter, where we're at acknowledgement, repair, apology. None of that has happened.” (35:42, Newman)
  “[The monarchy] continues not to address it and say it’s regrettable is, I think, insufficient. But it’s also just kicking the can down the road.” (43:29, Newman)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the persistence of royal involvement:

  "They're investing in slavery, in this institution, being willing to essentially embrace a system that they know involves selling people and they're fine. They're actually proud of it at the time." – Brooke Newman (23:36)

• On archival silences:

  “The silence really comes... when both the monarchy and the country embraces this idea of being at the vanguard of abolition... At that point, it’s like there’s just this cloak drawn over this century of centuries of investment.” – Brooke Newman (24:36)

• On monarchy and public reckoning:

  “We're doing a disservice to the younger generation when we [ignore history]. But also... a disservice to the longevity of this institution as well.” – Brooke Newman (42:21)

• On societal response:

  “If you even talk about it, you are shamefully attacking the monarchy or... trying to reflect negatively on British national identity or Britain's imperial past. As a historian that is regrettable because I don't think anything is that black and white.” – Brooke Newman (40:23)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:22–03:56: Origins and motivation for the book
• 04:38–07:15: Researching royal archives and evidence
• 09:00–12:57: Elizabeth I’s involvement and early slave-trading ventures
• 13:45–18:59: The Stuart era and the Royal African Company
• 18:59–22:57: Royal branding, symbolism, and material culture
• 28:35–29:40: Reconstructing enslaved voices and silences in the archive
• 32:39–34:14: Memory of abolition and national identity
• 35:05–41:24: Culture wars, reparations, and prospects for accountability

Episode Tone and Closing Thoughts

Helen Carr and Brooke Newman’s discussion is frank, deeply researched, and clear-eyed about both historical realities and modern repercussions. Newman calls unequivocally for greater transparency and honesty, arguing the monarchy—and Britain—cannot enter a healing, reparative stage without first confronting uncomfortable truths.