King Charles says Commonwealth to confront slavery's injustices

LONDON/NASSAU, Oct 27 – King Charles on Tuesday acknowledged the injustices of slavery, saying Commonwealth leaders would discuss the issue at their summit next week, against the backdrop of increasingly vocal demands from the Caribbean that Britain pays reparations for its role ​in the slave trade.

Speaking in the Bahamas at the start of a Caribbean tour, Charles said ​it was “only right” to acknowledge “the great suffering and injustices of the past in ⁠these islands and beyond”. His remarks come before the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua and Barbuda ​next week, where Caribbean leaders are expected to press demands for reparations for slavery and colonialism. Charles added ​that some of what was “best” in Bahamian culture today — “the most joyful, the most hopeful, the most bright” — was “born out of darkness”.

Charles is visiting the Bahamas and Guyana before travelling to Antigua and Barbuda where he will be joined by ​his wife Queen Camilla for the biennial summit of the 56-nation Commonwealth, most of whose members ​are former British colonies.