King Charles to Address Slavery Legacy in Caribbean Tour, No Formal Apology

King Charles will confront Britain’s role in the transatlantic slave trade during his Caribbean visit, but will not issue a formal apology for the "darkest days of our past," Buckingham Palace said on Friday. The monarch and Queen Camilla will travel to the Bahamas, Guyana and Antigua and Barbuda before attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) from November 1‑4. The trip comes amid growing calls from Caribbean and African states for Britain to pay reparations for slavery, a proposal the UK government has ruled out. Charles, who has expressed sorrow about slavery and has supported research into the monarchy’s historical links to the trade, will use the visit to acknowledge the past while focusing on the present and future of host nations. The Jamaican government has also asked him to seek legal advice on reparations, underscoring the heightened scrutiny of colonial legacy at CHOGM.