Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he is "open" to a formal apology for Britain's role in the transatlantic slave trade, a development that could have significant implications for King Charles during his current Caribbean tour.
The monarch is on a nine-day tour of the region, where he has acknowledged the suffering caused by slavery but has stopped short of issuing an apology.
King's diplomatic balancing act
GB News royal correspondent Cameron Walker, reporting from the Caribbean, said the King has been "treading on diplomatic eggshells" since arriving in the region.
"In our inboxes as we landed, we heard the news from Andy Burnham suggesting that he is open to the idea of Britain formally apologising for its role in the transatlantic slave trade," Walker explained.
He added: "For the last five days or so travelling with the King, he's been kind of treading on diplomatic eggshells because his British government, up until this point, has shown no indication that they are changing the policy of decades which is Britain does not formally apologise for its role in the transatlantic slave trade and certainly does not pay reparations."
Acknowledgment without apology
During his tour, King Charles made a speech describing slavery as "the great suffering of the past" but fell short of apologising. He visited a site where 33 enslaved Africans were executed for an uprising and nodded to their brutal treatment in a speech in the Bahamas a few days ago.
Before the monarch arrived in the Caribbean, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson acknowledged that there are "important discussions taking place" about colonial legacy and the slave trade, but insisted the King would not be drawn into matters of reparations.
While the President of Guyana said reparative justice must include a "full and unconditional apology" for the slave trade, it was confirmed that King Charles would not be issuing a formal apology.
Historic implications
Walker noted that Burnham's comments are the biggest indication yet that King Charles could be asked by the government to issue a formal apology.
"It would be historic because Britain has never done that before," Cameron added. "Then the question is: Is that going to pave the way for Britain having to pay reparations? Andy Burnham may say he doesn't think Britain should be paying for reparations, but if a formal apology leads to a load of legal challenges from former colonial governments, that's going to be pretty tricky. Even if we don't end up paying reparations, the legal costs are going to come out of taxpayers' money."
Despite repeated calls from a number of Commonwealth leaders, the British government has never formally apologised for slavery. While Burnham has said he is open to Britain apologising, he has ruled out financial reparations.
