King Charles III begins a delicate tour of the Caribbean Tuesday, overshadowed by calls to apologise for the slave trade and pay reparations for what he has called the “darkest days” of British history.
The 77-year-old king, who is receiving treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer, will embark on a packed trip to some of the furthest corners of the Commonwealth taking in three countries in nine days.
He will first make solo visits to the Bahamas and Guyana, before being joined by his wife, Queen Camilla, for the final leg in Antigua and Barbuda, where he will address a Commonwealth heads of government (CHOGM) summit.
The programme will “not shy away from ‘the darkest days of our past’, as His Majesty has described them,” a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said, ahead of the tour.
Several of the former colonies have demanded the king take a new step toward making amends for colonisation and the transatlantic slave trade, which his ancestors profited off for centuries.
Last month Jamaica — where Charles remains head of state — filed a petition in an appeals court in London “to advance Jamaica’s push for reparations for the African ancestors who suffered under hundreds of years of enslavement”.
Few in royal circles will have forgotten a turbulent 2022 trip to Jamaica by Prince William, when he and Princess Catherine were met with anti-monarchy protests and calls for reparations.
Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali, who is to meet with Charles during the visit, told ITV News the king’s recognition of the “darkest days” was just the “first step”.
“Now, moving to the apology is the next step,” said Ali, demanding accountability from the former empire which he said “exploited the region”, “destroyed lives” and “created underdevelopment”.
Modern monarchs have to various degrees expressed remorse for Britain’s central role in chattel slavery, but none has yet formally apologised. The debt-laden UK government has balked at the idea of financial compensation.
Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey told Sky News ahead of the government meeting from November 1 to 4, that it “wouldn’t hurt” for the king to apologise.
Botchwey also said the “time has come” to discuss reparations, in the form of financial payments or otherwise.
Climate change, youth
Buckingham Palace has insisted the tour is an opportunity for the king to look forward, meet young people and discuss pressing issues like climate change.
On arrival Tuesday in the Bahamas, Charles will address a youth rally “providing an opportunity to reflect on shared history while looking to the future”, the palace said.
According to Botchwey, the Commonwealth, which includes 56 member countries with the king at its helm, is an important anchor in a “world that is almost spinning out of control”.
“This CHOGM is going to be one like never before,” the secretary-general told AFP in an interview, with the meeting in St John’s set to focus on investment and trade opportunities for member countries.
Charles, who has long championed environmental causes, will meet organisations working in the field, including a coral restoration project in Antigua and Barbuda and rainforest conservation in Guyana.
“Many of these countries that are affected by climate are not polluters, and yet they feel the brunt of the effects of climate,” said Botchwey, adding that the CHOGM summit will also touch upon climate resilience schemes.
While she refused to elaborate on whether the UK government and royals should pursue slavery reparations, she said the issue would be on the table in St John’s.
“What will happen in Antigua and Barbuda may be that the leaders will have a discussion on reparatory justice,” said Botchwey, adding the Commonwealth would “support” countries in the talks.
“The Commonwealth has been an organisation that has never shied away from difficult situations,” she added.
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