King Charles acknowledges the 'great suffering of the past' on his Bahamas visit but does NOT apologise for slavery
King Charles, who acknowledged "the great suffering and injustices of the past" during his Bahamas visit but stopped short of an apology, is on his first Caribbean tour as monarch.King Charles is on a nine-day Caribbean tour culminating in the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua, where slavery's legacy will be formally discussed by Commonwealth leaders.King Charles (left) with Philip Davis, Prime Minister of the Bahamas, as the Bahamas National Reparations Committee said the King's remarks "fall short of what justice requires.King Charles arrives in Nassau to begin a Caribbean tour that will also be attended by Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
King Charles, 77, arrived in Nassau on Tuesday for a nine-day Caribbean tour that will culminate in the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua — the first time he has visited the region as monarch. Acknowledging 'the great suffering and injustices of the past in these islands and beyond' at a youth rally at Clifford Park, where Bahamian independence was declared in 1973, he stopped short of any apology or reparations offer, in line with the UK government's established position. Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband are both expected to attend CHOGM, where Charles has confirmed slavery's legacy will be formally discussed by Commonwealth leaders.
The Bahamas National Reparations Committee said the King's remarks 'fall short of what justice requires'.
Former Attorney General Sir Michael Ellis KC argued it 'would not be appropriate' for Charles to apologise, saying he has 'nothing to apologise for, either personally or as Head of State'.
In March, the UN General Assembly declared the transatlantic slave trade 'the gravest crime against humanity'; Britain was among 52 countries that abstained from the vote.
