Prince William's plan to ditch major royal role

Prince William could reportedly make one major change when he becomes King one day. 

Unlike his father, King Charles, the current Prince of Wales is not necessarily expected to lead the Commonwealth in the future. 

Following his controversial 2022 tour of Belize, the Bahamas and Jamaica in 2022 with the Princess of Wales, William said: "Who the Commonwealth chooses to lead its family in the future isn’t what is on my mind." 

Sources have now told The Times newspaper: "The position hasn’t changed."

The Commonwealth, headed by the King, is a voluntary association of 56 independent countries, nearly all of which were formerly under British rule. 

Leading the Commonwealth is not hereditary and is selected by leaders. However, a unanimous decision in 2018 declared that Charles would lead it following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. 

William and Catherine's 2022 tour received heavy criticism, including backlash, protests, and unrest, with the Prince altering a speech to acknowledge the UK's role in the slave trade.

King Charles's autumn tour begins

It comes as the King prepares to embark on a nine-day tour of the Caribbean this week to the Bahamas, Guyana and on to Antigua and Barbuda with Queen Camilla, amid calls for him to apologise for Britain's role in slavery.

The monarch, who continues to undergo treatment for cancer, will preside over the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Antigua, where he will be joined by the Queen, and he will also make a solo state visit to Guyana.

Its President Mohamed Irfaan Ali said recently that Charles had recognised slavery as the darkest days in human history – but moving to the apology was "the next step".

The issue of reparations – financial compensation or other forms of redress from slave trading nations – is likely to be another topic he is asked to address.

The King follows the guidance of his ministers, and it is understood the Government has not advised him to offer an apology or reparations, in keeping with established policy.

Charles's role as Head of the Commonwealth

Charles, head of the Commonwealth, acknowledged the "appalling atrocity of slavery", describing it as something "which forever stains our history", when he attended the ceremony marking Barbados’ historic transition to a republic in 2021.

A year later, he described how he was on a personal journey of discovery and was continuing to "deepen my own understanding of slavery’s enduring impact", in a speech at the opening of a Commonwealth summit hosted by Rwanda.

Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, whose administration removed Queen Elizabeth II as head of state, led a group of Caribbean leaders who launched a new slavery reparations manifesto during a reparations conference in Ghana in June.

This summer a delegation from Jamaica travelled to the UK to file a petition asking the King to refer three questions about transatlantic chattel slavery to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, the Caribbean island’s highest court of appeal.

In September, the Palace said the King remains "personally and wholeheartedly committed" to finding ways to address "historic wrongs" around slavery.

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said when details of the visit were announced earlier this month: "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'."