The King will land in The Bahamas later today at the start of his tour to the Caribbean, where there has been mounting calls for him to apologise for slavery
The King is set to fly into a storm as he kicks off his Caribbean tour amid mounting calls to apologise for slavery – with a government minister calling requests for reparations ‘not reasonable’.
Charles will land in The Bahamas later today, where he will spend several days, followed by the state visit to Guyana. He will also attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) during his trip to Antigua and Barbuda with the Queen.
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.
Activists and campaign groups have added to the chorus of pleas for Charles, 77, to go further than acknowledging Britain’s shameful past. But just hours before the King was due to land, the Business Secretary said reparations are not a “reasonable request”.
Jonathan Reynolds told Sky News he was “sensitive to British history” and that “we should be able to talk about it” but that past events should not be attributed to current generations.
He said: “But in terms of the kind of economic claims being put forward, I just don’t see how that is a legitimate request to put to, say, my constituents about what they themselves have done.
“I think it might be perhaps a difference in an individual, a family sense, your own personal wealth, but in terms of the relationship between two countries, I don’t think it’s a reasonable request.”
He said that was his view and that he did not recall discussing it among Andy Burnham’s Cabinet. He later added: “I think you know the role the UK has played in the world. I understand some people see that as a mixed record, but I don’t think it’s legitimate to make that request of the UK in terms of current generations.”
Earlier this month, the issue of slavery was put back into focus this week following Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Botchwey saying it “wouldn’t hurt” when asked during an interview if the King should apologise.
The Bahamas National Reparations Committee has warned the King not to arrive “empty-handed” and wants a formal apology for the Crown’s links to slavery and colonialism.
Its chair, Dr Niambi Hall Campbell-Dean, told the Mirror: “For [King Charles] to come to our island and not be prepared to apologise for the wrongs of the past is unacceptable.”
Guyana President Mohamed Irfaan Ali said recently Charles had recognised slavery as the darkest days in human history – but moving to the apology was “the next step”.
Buckingham Palace has said the King will not issue a formal apology, but will take part in reflections of the region’s past and links to the slave trade.
A spokesperson 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.” 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.
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’ 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.
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