Sources close to the Palace say the King is determined that the Caribbean tour will not be allowed to shy away from “the darkest days of our past” and difficult conversations as debates about slavery and reparations continue among Commonwealth nations
King Charles has vowed to face Britain’s historic darkest days head-on as he prepares to travel the world in his role as the monarch. The King is set to visit Antigua and Barbuda next month alongside the Queen.
And sources close to the Palace say the King is determined that the Caribbean tour will not be allowed to shy away from “the darkest days of our past” and difficult conversations as debates about slavery and reparations continue among Commonwealth nations.
Charles is expected to face renewed calls to apologise for the UK’s role in the transatlantic trade in enslaved people, in the run-up to a major gathering of Commonwealth leaders he will attend with the Queen in Antigua and Barbuda next month.
And Buckingham Palace have been vocal about the upcoming visit, saying they are not issues that the king will hide away from.
A spokesman said: “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’.
“The visit programme will therefore not shy away from ‘the darkest days of our past’, as His Majesty has described them, but – in keeping with the wishes of our host nations – it will principally be oriented to the vibrant present and promising future of each country, with visit programmes developed in close consultation with their governments to reflect their individual priorities.
“That said, it is important to note here the work His Majesty himself has done over many years both to acknowledge the wrongs of the past and to find creative ways to ‘right inequalities that endure’.
“As you would therefore expect, opportunities will be found during the visit to reflect and renew his personal, wholehearted and continuing commitment to that process.”
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 when he makes two solo trips – a state visit to Guyana and a tour of The Bahamas.
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.
The United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly backed a resolution declaring the transatlantic slave trade “the gravest crime against humanity”, with the UK and EU member states among 52 countries that abstained during the vote in March.
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, expected to attend the Commonwealth summit with Prime Minister Andy Burnham, recently reiterated the Government’s position during an interview with Politico, a digital newspaper, saying: “I don’t think reparations are the answer, and I’ve had those discussions already with some of our Commonwealth colleagues.”
Britain’s royal family has a long association with the transportation and selling of enslaved people for profit.
Elizabeth I backed the lucrative dealings of John Hawkins, one of Britain’s first slave traders, and Charles II encouraged the expansion of the enterprise, granting a charter to a group of men, the Royal Adventurers, who later became the Royal African Company, and invested private funds in the firm, as did the Duke of York.
The company’s charter said the initials “DY” for Duke of York were branded on the left buttock or breast of many of the slaves the company shipped to what were called the “sugar islands” in the Caribbean.
As the slavery abolitionists campaigned against the trade, they were opposed by the Duke of Clarence, George III’s son, later to become William IV.
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’s historic transition to a republic in 2021.
The UK Government’s position on reparations is well established, it acknowledges the trade in enslaved people was abhorrent and its impact is still felt today, but it will not pay financial reparations for historical acts that did not break international laws at the time and is committed to continued dialogue with Commonwealth nations.
Last month 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.
Olivia Grange, Jamaica’s minister of culture, gender, entertainment and sport, asked why her country should not seek slavery reparations when Britain was still paying off debt linked to slave-owner compensation just 11 years ago.
Charles will begin his Caribbean tour by visiting The Bahamas for three days from October 27, followed by the state visit to Guyana on October 29 and 30 and then attend Chogm during his trip to Antigua and Barbuda with the Queen from November 1 to 4.
A palace spokesperson highlighted the King’s comments about slavery during previous Chogms, adding: “And it’s not just about what His Majesty has said, it’s about what he’s done – the personal support for Commonwealth education programmes since the last Chogm, and his support, over many decades, for young people through the King’s Trust.
“This shows that he has always engaged in ways in which the inequalities of the past can be righted. But as far as reparations and apologies go, that is a matter for the Government.”