King stops short of slavery apology at Commonwealth summit in Antigua and hails the Royal Navy's role in ending it
King Charles III, whose remarks drew no commitment to reparations, with Buckingham Palace insisting he would not be responsible for delivering any apology.Andy Burnham fell while playing cricket at the Commonwealth summit in Antigua, where he has ruled out reparations but launched structured talks on a formal slavery apology.King Charles III at Nelson's Dockyard, Antigua and Barbuda, where he learned about efforts to protect the islands' natural and built heritage, as Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband and former Prime Minister Gordon Brown joined efforts to build towards a formal slavery apology.Andy Burnham, Prime Minister, met King Charles at the Commonwealth Business Forum at the Sticky Wicket, as former Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby branded the £40m taxpayer-funded allocation for Caribbean green energy and infrastructure a 'moral evil'.On board HMS Wellington, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said Britain should "stop apologising" for its role in the slave trade, as Burnham warned a formal UK apology is now expected next year when Britain holds the G20 presidency.Queen Camilla met women advocating for others across the Commonwealth, including survivors of abuse, as Andy Burnham separately opened formal slavery apology talks at the Antigua summit.
King Charles told Commonwealth leaders in Antigua that the transatlantic slave trade fills him with "profound personal sorrow" but declined to issue the formal apology demanded by Caribbean nations and campaigners gathered outside the summit. Prime Minister Andy Burnham, also attending the summit, had already signalled he is open to a formal apology and approved £40m in Caribbean aid, but has rejected financial reparations as "not the right answer."
Charles pointedly praised the Royal Navy for playing 'a leading role' in ending the slave trade — a framing likely to infuriate reparations campaigners.
Protesters outside the Antigua venue held signs reading 'You say you regret so apologize — reparatory justice now' as Caribbean leaders intensified pressure.
Burnham had previously argued Britons today cannot be held personally liable for historical wrongs 'in which they played no personal part.'
