King Charles to address slavery and colonial legacy during Caribbean tour

King Charles III will address Britain’s colonial past and slavery during a Caribbean tour beginning later this month, Buckingham Palace said on Friday. The king will visit the Bahamas and Guyana alone before travelling with Queen Camilla to Antigua and Barbuda. The tour is scheduled to run from October 27 to November 4 and will include a meeting of Commonwealth heads of government.

A palace spokesperson said the visit would not avoid what Charles has previously called the “darkest days of our past”. In a 2021 speech in Barbados, he referred to the atrocity of slavery and said it stained Britain’s history. The palace said Charles remained committed to acknowledging historical wrongs and addressing inequalities that endure.

It described discussion of the colonial legacy and slavery as important, while saying that governments primarily had responsibility for those issues. The British government reiterated last month that it did not support calls for slavery reparations. A Jamaican delegation had submitted a petition addressed to Charles concerning the issue.

The tour will include visits to countries that were former British colonies and are now independent Commonwealth members. Charles remains head of state in the Bahamas and Antigua and Barbuda, where the role is largely ceremonial. Guyana is a republic and will be visited on the 60th anniversary of its independence.

The programme will also feature a parade marking 45 years of independence in Antigua and Barbuda, meetings with cricket figures and discussions with conservationists working in Guyana’s rainforest. Charles, 77, is still receiving cancer treatment. The palace said the trip would also focus on the present and future of the countries being visited.