UK’s King Charles expresses ‘sorrow’ in Antigua over slave trade

King Charles III has expressed "horror" and "the most profound personal sorrow" over Britain's role in the transatlantic slave trade, but stopped short of the formal apology many Caribbean and African nations are demanding.

Speaking at the official opening of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua and Barbuda on Tuesday, the monarch said the slave trade "still casts a shadow over these [Caribbean] islands and other members of our Commonwealth." He noted the Royal Navy had played "a leading role" in ending it.

"We cannot change the actions of those who came before us," Charles said. "We can, however, learn from the past."

Rather than an apology, the King pledged to address historic wrongs through better access to education, investment in jobs, trade among Commonwealth countries and climate resilience — offering no measures for the economic and social damage of slavery. Buckingham Palace had confirmed before the tour that no formal apology would be issued.

Guyanese President Mohamed Irfaan Ali said an apology should be the King's next step. The reparations dispute last flared at the 2024 Commonwealth summit in Samoa, when leaders called for talks despite opposition from then-British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Current Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said the UK is open to a formal apology while ruling out financial reparations, and has proposed a debt-restructuring programme for the Commonwealth's poorest countries.

Outside Tuesday's venue, protesters held signs reading "Acknowledge the wrong. Commit to repair." "You have to apologise, yes. That is where we start with the repair," said Antigua resident Shana Michelle.