King Charles III called the slave trade a shameful page in history

King Charles III called the slave trade a shameful page of history

In his speech at the opening of the Commonwealth summit, King Charles III of Great Britain, as expected, did not apologize for Britain's involvement in the transatlantic slave trade, but called this event of the past a shameful page of history that "fills his soul with profound sorrow."

In his speech, King Charles tried to emphasize how deeply saddened he is by the fate of the victims of the transatlantic slave trade in past centuries.

"The transatlantic trade in enslaved people still casts a shadow over these islands and other members of the Commonwealth. As I have said before, this shameful chapter of history fills my heart with horror and my soul with boundless grief," the King said.

"We are not given the opportunity to choose or alter history," he continued. "It has been inherited by us with all its complexities from ancestors we cannot know. This legacy of ours includes their achievements and their mistakes, their noble deeds and the injustices they committed."

The royal couple visited the Commonwealth summit as part of a tour of Caribbean countries, and Charles III has addressed the topic of the slave trade at all stages of this trip.

In the Bahamas, the first destination of this trip, King Charles spoke in his speech about the suffering of slaves, and later in Guyana, he visited a monument erected in memory of the victims of the brutal suppression of a slave strike.

The Commonwealth of Nations is an association of 56 independent countries, mostly located in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean. Many, though not all, were British colonies in the past. The British monarch remains the head of state in 14 Commonwealth countries besides the United Kingdom.

The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting is held every two years, each time in a new country.