Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles and Queen Camilla will address colonial legacies and slavery during their upcoming Caribbean tour ahead of the Commonwealth summit in Antigua and Barbuda, though the British government maintains its long-standing position against paying financial reparations.
As the King prepares for his upcoming travels to the Caribbean alongside Queen Camilla, Buckingham Palace has confirmed that the itinerary will directly confront the painful history of the transatlantic slave trade. The royal tour includes a state visit to Guyana and a tour of The Bahamas, culminating in a major gathering of Commonwealth leaders in St John’s, Antigua and Barbuda.
Palace Confirms Tour Will Address Atrocities of Transatlantic Slavery
The royal visit comes at a delicate political juncture as Caribbean nations step up demands for formal apologies and financial redress. In September, the government of Jamaica announced plans to petition the King to refer questions regarding the legality of colonial enslavement to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. Olivia Grange, the country’s minister of culture, gender, entertainment and sport, has pressed the issue by pointing out that Britain finished paying off debt linked to slave-owner compensation only 11 years ago.
Historical records show deep royal and state roots in the enterprise, dating back to periods when Elizabeth I backed the lucrative dealings of John Hawkins, recognized as one of Britain’s first slave traders. Charles II later encouraged the expansion of the enterprise by granting a charter to a group of men known as the Royal Adventurers—who later became the Royal African Company—and invested private funds in the firm alongside the Duke of York. During the later abolitionist campaigns, reform efforts were actively opposed by the Duke of Clarence, son of George III, who later became William IV.
There are important discussions taking place in various fora about colonial legacy and the intergenerational impact of the transatlantic trade in enslaved persons. While these are primarily matters for Governments to address, His Majesty’s previous statements on them have been unequivocal, describing them as an ‘atrocity’ which ‘forever stains our history’.
Buckingham Palace spokesperson, via BBC and Thurrock Gazette
The palace added that the visit will principally focus on the vibrant present and promising future of each host nation, developed in close consultation with local governments.
Government Policy Bars Reparations Despite Global Votes
While the monarch follows ministerial guidance, the UK government has not advised him to offer financial compensation or a formal apology. Downing Street maintains that the trade was abhorrent, but that the UK position is not to pay financial redress for historical acts that did not violate international law at the time.
In March, the United Nations General Assembly backed a resolution declaring the transatlantic slave trade the gravest crime against humanity, a vote that saw the UK and EU member states among 52 countries abstaining.
Commonwealth Leaders and Republic Bids Meet the Royal Schedule
The upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), scheduled from November 1 to 4 in Antigua and Barbuda, serves as the main anchor for the royal schedule. Both the King and Queen will attend CHOGM, though the King’s subsequent visits to The Bahamas and Guyana will be conducted solo. Caribbean Community leaders, led by figures like Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, are expected to keep slavery reparations at the forefront of the agenda.
King Charles previously acknowledged the appalling nature of the trade, describing it as something which forever stains history, when he attended the official ceremony marking Barbados’s historic transition to a republic in 2021. Charles is head of the Commonwealth.
Although the King remains head of state in The Bahamas, the nation’s prime minister has expressed a desire to follow Barbados in transitioning to a republic. Prince William and Kate previously visited The Bahamas in 2022, where Prince William acknowledged that future decisions rest with the local populace.
King Charles travels to the Caribbean while continuing treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer, following an update last year indicating that his treatment schedule would be reduced.