King stops short of a slavery apology in Antigua and points to the Royal Navy's 'leading role' in ending the trade
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 deliberately stopped short of a formal apology, defying Caribbean leaders and campaigners who had gathered demanding both an apology and reparations. Prime Minister Andy Burnham, also at the summit, had already signalled openness to a formal apology while ruling out financial reparations. Charles also pointed to the Royal Navy's "leading role" in ending the trade, echoing Kemi Badenoch's argument and risking fresh controversy.
Caribbean protestors outside the summit held signs reading 'You say you regret so apologize — reparatory justice now!'
Former Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby warned that forcing Britons to fund reparations would be a 'moral evil' — a 'vast fine for a crime they did not commit'.
Charles said he could not 'command the winds of yesterday' but pledged modern partnership on education, jobs and climate resilience instead of cash.
