King Charles Expresses Profound Sorrow Over Slave Trade at Commonwealth Summit in Antigua

The update

King Charles III opened the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in St John’s, Antigua and Barbuda, on Tuesday, saying the transatlantic trade in enslaved persons still casts a shadow over Caribbean islands and other Commonwealth members. He called it a shameful chapter of history that fills his heart with horror and his soul with the most profound personal sorrow. He said the past cannot be changed but can be learned from, yet stopped short of a formal apology and offered no reparations.

Why it matters

Britain forcibly transported more than 3.2 million Africans, mainly to Caribbean and North American colonies, before the slave trade was outlawed for British subjects in 1807. Calls for an apology and reparations also dominated the 2024 Commonwealth summit in Samoa, and protesters outside the venue held signs reading “Acknowledge the wrong. Commit to repair.” Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said Britain is open to a formal apology while ruling out financial reparations.

What to watch

Leaders of the Commonwealth’s 56 member nations will discuss addressing the legacy through education, jobs, trade and climate resilience. Attention will focus on whether Burnham’s apology talks produce agreed wording, and whether Caribbean and African governments press for concrete financial commitments beyond the debt help he has proposed.

Sources

• aljazeera.com — confirms the sorrow remarks, the missing apology and the reparations calls
• dw.com — confirms the summit opening, the quotes and Britain’s role in the trade

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