King Charles begins Caribbean tour amid slavery reparations debate

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 27 Oct, 13:32 · Archive

King Charles begins a Caribbean tour as debate intensifies over slavery reparations and a formal apology.

King Charles has begun a Caribbean tour of the Bahamas, Guyana and Antigua and Barbuda. The visit takes place against intense debate over whether the King should issue a formal apology for Britain's role in the slave trade and whether reparations should be paid.

Buckingham Palace has stated that while the King will not shy away from discussing what he has previously called 'the darkest days of our past', he will not issue an apology. The Government has ruled out paying reparations through the King. The i Paper reports that King George IV, a great-great-great-great-granduncle of the current King, personally profited from slavery in Crown-owned plantations on Grenada.

The debate has become a significant issue within the Church of England, where the establishment is considering paying over £100 million in compensation for disputed slavery links. The Daily Mail reports that an apology would be a 'cliff-edge moment' that could trigger legal liability claims and international diplomatic pressure. The i Paper notes that the King backed research into the Royal Family's historical links to the slave trade, including through the Royal African Company, which shipped thousands of kidnapped Africans into slavery.

How it is being reported

• The monarchy is edging towards a crisis bigger than Harry or even AndrewThere will be no apology for slavery as the King visits the Caribbean. But he can tell us how he will confront this troubling historyThe i Paper · 27 Oct, 12:00
• ROBERT HARDMAN: Today the King will fly into a Caribbean storm over slavery reparations. So can he avert a full-blown crisis?Today, the King embarks on a Caribbean tour which will require all of his considerable diplomatic powers. But will it be enough to avert a proper constitutional crisis?Daily Mail · 27 Oct, 00:23

In this story: King Charles III · Buckingham Palace · Church of England · Caribbean · Bahamas · Guyana · Antigua and Barbuda

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