King Charles has told Commonwealth leaders that the transatlantic slave trade "fills my heart with horror" but stopped short of an apology, insisting that "history is not ours to choose or to change."
In his opening address at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm) in Antigua, the King reiterated his previous statements on the atrocities, calling it "a shameful chapter of history" that "fills my heart with horror and my soul with the most profound personal sorrow." He made special mention of the Royal Navy in bringing about an end to the slave trade.
Defiance on Apology Calls
Charles defied campaigners and some Caribbean leaders who had called for him to personally apologise for Britain's and the monarchy's historic role, insisting that there were positive aspects of the past which "inspires us."
He said: "None of us, of course, would be here today were it not for our history, which has shaped us in myriad ways. History is not ours to choose or to change. It is bequeathed to us in complex synthesis by forebears we can never know. Our inheritance includes both their achievements and their failures – the good they did as well as the wrongs."
Tour Dominated by Slavery Controversy
The King's nine-day tour of the Caribbean, visiting The Bahamas, Guyana and Antigua and Barbuda over the last eight days, has been beset with controversy over slavery and reparations. Within two hours of landing in The Bahamas last Tuesday, Charles spoke at a youth rally where he said "it is only right that we acknowledge the great sufferings of the past in these islands and beyond."
Despite receiving warm welcomes across all three countries, those nations' prime ministers have spoken publicly on either becoming republics or demanding conversations open for reparations.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham on Friday said he was "open" to Britain apologising and today will offer £40million to Caribbean projects amid the growing row. The money will go towards green energy schemes in the West Indies. He will also set out plans to help poorer Commonwealth members grappling with higher debt costs.
Constitutional Constraints and Commonwealth Vision
Buckingham Palace sources suggested the King remained constrained by his constitutional role as monarch, forbidding him from deviating from official government policy.
Charles added: "As I have said before, that shameful chapter of history is one that fills my heart with horror and my soul with the most profound personal sorrow. And yet history also teaches us that evil need not have the last word; that character and courage can combine to overcome the most monstrous injustice, as they did with the determination to end international trade in enslaved people, in which the Royal Navy played such a leading role."
Charles praised his wife, who joined him on Friday for the last leg of the tour, and spoke of his pride in Camilla being equally involved. He commended the benefits of the Commonwealth "in a desperately troubled world" and urged leaders from the 56 nations to come together for the benefit "across our societies and our economies, through our businesses, our institutions and our communities."
He concluded: "Above all, Ladies and Gentlemen, I trust that each of you will recommit yourselves to a Commonwealth in which our young people can look to the future with greater confidence and purpose. So that from this remarkable family of nations, our people can draw inspiration and hope – just as I, myself, have always done."
