King acknowledges 'suffering of the past' as Caribbean tour begins
The King is on a nine-day tour that will take him to three countries, including the Bahamas, Guyana and Antigua and Barbuda.
King Charles III has started his Caribbean tour by recognising the “great suffering of the past” as he confronted demands for slavery reparations.
At an event in the Bahamas marking local youth, the King said the nation’s culture was “born out of darkness”, adding that it was “only right” to acknowledge historic injustices.
His nine-day trip will end at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), where the King has said leaders will discuss the region’s slavery legacy.
The visit, his first as monarch, comes amid fresh calls from Caribbean countries for Britain to apologise for its role in profiting from the sale of enslaved people.
Ahead of the journey, Buckingham Palace said the King would not avoid discussion of the “colonial legacy” and the effects of the slave trade during the tour, but, in line with the UK government’s stance, he will not apologise for Britain’s role in the slave trade or provide reparations.
When he arrived on Tuesday, the King met Governor General Dame Cynthia A. Pratt and Prime Minister Philip Edward Davis, before speaking with members of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force as he reviewed a guard of honour.
Wearing sunglasses and a grey suit, King Charles was then greeted by cheers as he arrived for his first engagement, a youth rally at Clifford Park — the same place where he attended independence celebrations for the Bahamas as Prince of Wales in 1973.
The young people attending had been given time off school for the occasion. “It’s my first time seeing him in person out of TikTok so he’s out there, it’s cool,” one student told the BBC.
A small group of protesters gathered near the rally, shouting “pay us what you owe us” and “return artefacts you’ve stolen.”
The roughly dozen protesters were kept outside the main venue as they urged the King to help shift the UK government’s position on apologising and offering reparations.
“He’s a man of influence. The Crown still has influence. And if they do not do it then we will become a republic and we will turn our backs on England if you do not show respect to the former colonies,” said one protester, Sharon Purcer-Cooper.
In his speech in Nassau, the King referred to his 50-year commitment to combating climate change and pointed to the difficulties faced by low-lying Caribbean islands, saying that “our world cries out for healing”.
He also urged young people at the rally to “take up the sacred task to play your part” because “in years to come, this will be surely be the measure of every person - how they answered the call to care for planet earth - the source of our life, our prosperity and our security”.
The King will continue his engagements in the Bahamas on Wednesday, when he will hear more about how vulnerable the Caribbean’s low-lying islands are to climate change.
He will also be introduced to the Bahamian tradition of Junkanoo, a cultural festival and street parade.
Buckingham Palace said the King’s nine-day tour of three Caribbean countries will include chances to reflect on the legacy of the slave trade, with visits planned to memorials and other places of reflection and remembrance.
A palace spokesperson told the BBC that the King’s programme on the tour “will primarily focus on shining a light on the many modern partnerships and opportunities for the future”, especially those “having a transformative effect on the region”.
The spokesperson added that for the King, the “tour is both a new journey but also the continuance of a lifelong one, in which he has sought to engage, understand and educate about the most shameful aspects of our past”.
The palace said those themes will be carried through the nine-day visit.
The trip has been arranged with the governments of the Bahamas, Guyana and Antigua and Barbuda, with an emphasis on honouring the past while also looking ahead to the ambition and possibility of future generations.
Later this week, the King will travel to Guyana, where his engagements will centre on the environment and biodiversity.
He will then go to Antigua and Barbuda, where he will be joined by Queen Camilla for CHOGM and his keynote speech as leader of the Commonwealth.
The biennial summit will gather leaders from 56 Commonwealth countries to discuss shared challenges and strengthen cooperation.