Charles acknowledges slavery’s legacy as Caribbean tour opens
King Charles III addressed historic suffering at a youth gathering in the Bahamas as campaigners pressed Britain for an apology and reparations over slavery. His first visit there as monarch opens a Caribbean tour that includes a Commonwealth summit. Buckingham Palace has said the programme addresses colonial history while maintaining the British government’s position against an apology and reparations.
Geopolitics··Midday
Youth gathering meets demands for reparations
King Charles III began his Caribbean tour in the Bahamas on 27 October, addressing a youth gathering at Clifford Park in Nassau, the country’s capital. He acknowledged historic suffering and injustices and linked the country’s present culture to that painful past. Demonstrators gathered near the venue demanding reparations for slavery. The visit is his first to the Bahamas as monarch; he attended the country’s independence celebrations at the same park as Prince of Wales in 1973.[1], [2]
Charles inspected a guard of honour and spoke to members of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force after arriving. Students were given time away from school to attend the youth event. Outside the venue, protesters sought a change in Britain’s position on slavery reparations and the return of cultural objects. The gathering inside the park included young performers and a welcoming crowd.[1]
Palace maintains Britain’s position on apology
Before the trip, Buckingham Palace said the programme would address colonial history and the slave trade while maintaining the British government’s position against an apology and reparations. Charles met Governor General Cynthia A. Pratt and Prime Minister Philip Edward Davis on arrival. His nine-day itinerary includes Guyana and Antigua and Barbuda, with a Commonwealth summit among its engagements. He said leaders would discuss slavery’s legacy during the gathering of the association of countries with historic links to Britain.[1]
Botchwey said discussion of reparations could include financial payments or other forms of redress. Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali described recognition of historical wrongs as a first step and called for an apology. The Commonwealth comprises 56 member countries. Its summit also has investment and trade among its subjects, according to the secretary-general’s account of the agenda.[2]
Low-lying islands face climate threats
Climate change also featured in Charles’s speech. He described the vulnerability of low-lying Caribbean islands and called on young people to care for the planet. The palace said the tour placed an emphasis on young people, modern partnerships and opportunities for future generations, alongside remembrance of the past. Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey said reparations were on the summit’s agenda, and identified climate resilience among the subjects for discussion.[1], [2]
Charles said 90 per cent of land in the Bahamas lies below 2 metres, using the country to illustrate the exposure of island communities to climate change. The palace’s programme includes environmental work during the tour, with rainforest conservation in Guyana and coral restoration in Antigua and Barbuda. The king also referred to his long involvement in environmental issues during his Nassau speech.[1], [2]
