King Charles began a nine-day King Charles Caribbean tour in the Bahamas on Tuesday, acknowledging "the great suffering of the past" as Caribbean leaders press Britain for a slavery apology.
In the Bahamas, the King said some of the best of Bahamian culture "was born out of darkness" and that it was "only right" to acknowledge historic injustices, according to BBC World.
Buckingham Palace said the King would not apologise for Britain’s role in the slave trade or offer reparations, in line with the UK government position, BBC World reported.
The Bahamas National Reparations Committee said the King’s comments "fall short of what justice requires", namely a full and formal apology, according to the Guardian.
Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali said the King’s acknowledgement of the "darkest days" was only the first step and that an apology is the next step, according to the Straits Times.
The tour covers three countries. The King visits the Bahamas and Guyana alone, then Antigua and Barbuda with Queen Camilla for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), where slavery reparations will be on the table, the Straits Times reported. The Bahamas and Antigua leg also focuses on the climate threats facing low-lying islands, and the King will meet climate and conservation projects.
Public opinion is also being debated. A More in Common poll, published by the Repair Campaign and reported by the Guardian, found 40% of Britons supported a meeting on reparatory justice, with 60% of those aged 18-24 backing it. The Repair Campaign commissioned the reporting, and no independent verification of the figures is given.
The campaign for reparations has also moved into the courts. In September, Jamaica, where Charles remains head of state, filed a petition in an appeals court in London to advance its push for reparations, according to AFP via the Straits Times. The Straits Times also reports that no modern monarch has yet formally apologised for Britain’s role in chattel slavery, though several have expressed remorse.
The King travels to Guyana on Thursday for engagements on environment and biodiversity and will meet President Ali. He then joins Queen Camilla in Antigua for CHOGM, which the Straits Times says runs from November 1 to November 4 and where leaders will discuss the legacy of slavery and reparations.
Some key points rest on a single outlet. The tour itinerary and CHOGM details come from the Straits Times, and the poll figures come from the Guardian, which relied on the Repair Campaign. No UK government comment on the apology calls beyond the Palace statement has been reported, and the Antigua and Barbuda government has not responded publicly to the King’s remarks.
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This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.