King Charles calls slave trade a 'shameful chapter' at Commonwealth summit in Antigua but does not apologise

King Charles III told Commonwealth leaders gathered in Antigua and Barbuda that the transatlantic slave trade was a "shameful chapter of history," according to the BBC. He spoke as he opened the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm). He expressed personal sorrow over Britain's role in the trade but did not issue the formal apology that some had called for before the summit.

The speech touches on a debate that has followed the King's Caribbean tour. Several Commonwealth members have pressed Britain to acknowledge the wealth it drew from enslaved Africans and their descendants, to apologise for it and, in some cases, to pay reparations. Under Britain's constitutional arrangements, decisions on a formal apology and on reparations rest with the British government.

What the King said

The King said the trade continued to affect the region and the wider Commonwealth. It "still casts a shadow over these islands and other members of our Commonwealth," he said, in remarks reported by the BBC.

According to the BBC, he repeated language he has used before, saying the trade "fills my heart with horror and my soul with the most profound personal sorrow."

The King also said his own views had developed. The BBC reported that he described a growing commitment, built through listening and learning, to work with Commonwealth partners to address past wrongs through action. He described the inheritance of history as including both the achievements and the failures of earlier generations. "History is not ours to choose or to change," he said.

The address was not confined to slavery. According to the BBC, the King also spoke about armed conflicts around the world, the effects of climate change and the pace of technological change.

The government's position

Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who is also attending the summit, has said he is open to Britain making a formal apology, the BBC reported. He has ruled out financial reparations.

"I've been very clear that we do not support reparations," Burnham said, according to the BBC. He said Britain would continue to support Commonwealth countries through development assistance, debt relief and green finance. He described this as a long-standing policy across successive governments and as part of what he called a new approach intended to revitalise the Commonwealth.

The BBC also reported that Buckingham Palace, responding to questions about an apology, said the King's role does not include making policy. The monarch acts on the advice of ministers, so a formal state apology would be a matter for the government.

Background

The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 56 countries. Most of its members are former territories of the British Empire, including many African and Caribbean states. Its heads of government usually meet every two years in a different member country. This year's official theme is "Accelerating Partnerships and Investment for a Prosperous Commonwealth," according to the BBC.

The King and Queen are touring the Caribbean around the summit. The BBC reported that in the Bahamas, his first stop, the King spoke of the "suffering of the past." In Guyana he visited the site of a slave rebellion in which hundreds of enslaved people were killed.

Calls for reparations from Britain and other former colonial powers have grown in recent years. Caribbean governments have led many of these calls.

What comes next

The summit continues with talks among heads of government. It is not yet known whether Burnham's government will turn its stated openness to a formal apology into a concrete step, or when. Nor is it clear how Caribbean leaders will respond to a position that allows for the possibility of an apology but rejects reparations.

Sources: The Star (Kenya), BBC, BBC – Top Stories

Picture: BBC – Top Stories