King Charles has not issued an apology for the UK's role in the transatlantic slave trade, a decision that has drawn sharp criticism of Prime Minister Andy Burnham from broadcaster Rafe Heydel-Mankoo.
Speaking at the official opening of the leaders' segment of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, King Charles said the slave trade "fills my heart with horror and my soul with the most profound personal sorrow." However, he did not apologise for Britain's historic role in it.
Royal Navy role highlighted
In his speech, King Charles also highlighted how the British Royal Navy played a key part in bringing an end to the slave trade.
Appearing on TalkTV with Steve Baker, Heydel-Mankoo praised the monarch's remarks while criticising Burnham.
"I thought His Majesty played a blinder. If only we heard such things from uh Andy Burnham," he said.
Criticism of Burnham's approach
Heydel-Mankoo acknowledged the King's position as monarch of the United Kingdom, as well as head of Antigua and Barbuda and the Bahamas. He noted that Charles is also head of the Commonwealth, a position covering 56 nations that is not hereditary.
"He has to be very mindful not to cause too much controversy and alienate anybody," Heydel-Mankoo said, adding: "I thought he hit just the right note of acknowledging the evils of slavery. But how refreshing to finally hear someone in authority acknowledge the role that the Royal Navy played because whilst slavery is universal, slavery is thousands of years old."
He continued: "What was unique about Britain was that Britain became the first power in the world to deliberately make itself poorer to achieve a moral good, and that's by investing two per cent of GDP for 60 years in forcing an end to the slave trade on the high seas."
Later in the interview, Heydel-Mankoo returned to the topic of Burnham, who has said he would be "open" to the possibility of the UK formally apologising for its role in slavery while ruling out financial reparations. The prime minister is also considering handing over £40 million in aid and project funding for Caribbean nations.
"I don't know whether it's naive or what, but it seems to me that we have in Andy Burnham, a prime minister who is prioritising far-left progressive ideology and virtue signaling ahead of Britain's national interest," he said.
Heydel-Mankoo questioned whether being open to an apology or offering £40 million, when reparations activists are seeking £14 trillion, would calm the situation. "On the contrary, it's only going to embolden them. They can see weakness. They can smell the blood in the Atlantic. And this is only going to make them even more rapacious," he added.
