The key facts
- King Charles III called the slave trade a 'shameful chapter of history' at the opening of the CHOGM summit in Antigua and Barbuda
- No formal British apology was made, and reparations were not discussed
- Prime Minister Andy Burnham is open to an apology but considers reparations 'the wrong answer' and announced investments in Caribbean infrastructure
A speech without an apology
King Charles III of the United Kingdom opened the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Antigua and Barbuda on Tuesday, calling the transatlantic slave trade a 'shameful chapter of history' that fills his heart with horror and his soul with 'the deepest personal sorrow'. According to him, the trade in enslaved people 'still casts a shadow' over the islands and other Commonwealth members. The King also noted that, deepening his own understanding of the issue 'through listening, learning and observing', he is increasingly convinced of the need for a 'modern partnership' in order to 'right the wrongs of the past through actions for the future' (BBC News, Deutsche Welle).
Why no apology was made
There was neither a formal apology for Britain's historical role nor any mention of reparations in the speech: instead, the monarch spoke of the need to look forward so that 'evil does not have the last word', and remarked that 'we cannot change the actions of those who came before us, but we can learn from the past'. Ahead of the summit, the palace stressed that the King's role is not to make political decisions (BBC News). Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who is also attending the summit, previously said he was open to an official apology but considers financial reparations 'not the right answer'. According to Deutsche Welle, he intends to discuss debt relief for small Commonwealth countries and announced investments of 48.2 million euros (54 million dollars) in critical Caribbean infrastructure over three years.
Context: the tour and the scale of British involvement
The speech was delivered during the King and Queen's Caribbean tour, which has once again intensified the debate about the region's colonial legacy: earlier in the Bahamas, Charles spoke of 'the suffering of the past', and in Guyana he visited the site of the suppression of a slave uprising, where hundreds of enslaved people died (BBC News). CHOGM brings together the leaders of 56 states every two years; this year's theme is 'Accelerating partnership and investment for a prosperous Commonwealth'. Deutsche Welle recalls the historical background: Britain dispatched almost a third of all transatlantic slave-trading voyages, forcibly transporting more than 3.2 million Africans, primarily to its colonies in the Caribbean and North America; the participation of British subjects in the trade was banned by law in 1807, and slavery in the empire was abolished by the 1833 law. The combined GDP of Commonwealth countries, according to the outlet's estimate, is about 14.5 trillion dollars — roughly 15% of the world economy.
