NASSAU, Bahamas: King Charles III began a Caribbean tour in the Bahamas Tuesday where he is expected to “acknowledge the great suffering of the past” in the face of pressure to apologize for the slave trade.
The 77-year-old king, who is receiving treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer, will also highlight climate threats facing low-lying islands during the visit to 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.
On the first stop in the Bahamas, Charles is expected to say “some of what is best in Bahamian culture today, the most joyful, the most hopeful, the most bright, was born out of darkness.”
“(It is) only right that we should acknowledge the great suffering of the past in these islands and beyond, even as we rejoice in the successes of the present, and build new opportunities for the future,” he is expected to add at a youth rally.
Several of the former colonies have demanded the king take a new step toward making amends for colonization and the transatlantic slave trade, from which his ancestors profited 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.”
Charles has previously called slavery the “darkest days” of British history, and will address colonial issues at each stage of the trip.
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 apologized. 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 apologize.
Botchwey also said the “time has come” to discuss reparations, in the form of financial payments or otherwise.
Climate resilience
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 is also expected to highlight the particular facing low-lying islands face from climate change, saying that, “our world cries out for healing.”
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.
“For His Majesty, this tour is both a new journey but also the continuance of a lifelong one, in which he has sought to engage, understand and educate about the most shameful aspects of our past,” a palace spokesman said ahead of Charles’ speech.
Charles, who has long championed environmental causes, will meet organizations 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.