King and Queen fly home from Antigua after a Caribbean tour overshadowed by the row over slavery reparations
King Charles III, whose remarks drew no commitment to reparations, with Buckingham Palace insisting he would not be responsible for delivering any apology.King Charles III and Queen Camilla host Commonwealth Heads of State and their partners at an official dinner in Antigua and Barbuda, as Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband ruled out reparations entirely, insisting the government's structured dialogue would conclude within a year.The Queen enjoying a steel pan band performance, as Ed Miliband insisted a £40 million green energy package for Caribbean Commonwealth nations was entirely unrelated to any slavery apology process.Tables set for an official Commonwealth Heads of Government dinner in Antigua; Andy Burnham announced a £40 million green energy package for Caribbean nations at the summit, though Ed Miliband insisted it was unrelated to any apology process.
King Charles, 77, and Queen Camilla, 79, departed VC Bird International Airport in Antigua on Wednesday after a nine-day Caribbean tour that was repeatedly pulled back to the question of whether Britain will apologise and pay reparations for its role in the transatlantic slave trade. Charles told Commonwealth leaders his heart was filled with "horror and profound personal sorrow" over the slave trade but stopped short of an apology, while Prime Minister Andy Burnham offered talks but ruled out financial reparations.
Charles drew laughter from 84 Commonwealth leaders at his final banquet by quipping he would 'provide an umbrella for you all' — a self-deprecating nod to footage of him visibly flustered and soaking in a Antiguan downpour that went viral worldwide.
Earlier on his final day, Charles was 'shocked' to learn that 71 bags of rubbish had been collected from Fort James Beach in just two hours during a litter-picking engagement with Camilla.
The tour covered Guyana, the Bahamas and Antigua, where Charles hosted the opening of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting attended by leaders from all 56 member nations.
