Charles III Tells Commonwealth Summit the Slave Trade Fills His Heart With Horror and Profound Sorrow: No Apology, No Backing for Reparations
St John's, Antigua and Barbuda — Britain's King Charles III addressed the opening of the 28th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) on November 3, saying the transatlantic trade in enslaved persons still casts a shadow over these islands and other Commonwealth members, and calling it a shameful chapter of history 'that fills my heart with horror and my soul with the most profound personal sorrow'. 'We cannot change the actions of those who came before us. We can, however, learn from the past,' he said.
Charles did not, however, offer a formal apology on Britain's behalf or explicitly back reparations; in the same speech he credited the Royal Navy with a leading role in ending the international slave trade. As monarch he is constitutionally bound, and a formal apology is a matter for the British government. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said last week he is open to a formal apology but has ruled out financial reparations.
The summit runs from November 1 to 4 in St John's, the capital of Antigua and Barbuda, with leaders of the 56 member states attending; its stated priorities are trade, climate resilience, finance and opportunities for young people, and reparations are not formally on the agenda. Caribbean leaders, including host Prime Minister Gaston Browne of Antigua and Barbuda, have long pressed Britain to apologise for slavery and pay reparations. Brooke Newman, a historian at Virginia Commonwealth University, said the king 'did not go nearly far enough' and should issue a formal apology for the monarchy's institutional role in the slave trade.
Antigua is the final leg of the king's nine-day Caribbean tour: he set out on October 27, visited the Bahamas and Guyana, and arrived in Antigua and Barbuda on October 30. Buckingham Palace said before the trip that the king would not shy away from the slave-trade issue but would not formally apologise.
Related: UK: PM Burnham says he is open to a formal apology for slavery but rules out financial reparations
(Source: Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting)
Source: Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：英国国王查尔斯三世2026年4月在美国国会联席会议上发表演讲。照片为公共领域，美国众议院创意服务部提供，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: King Charles III addressing a joint session of the U.S. Congress in April 2026. Public domain, by U.S. House Creative Services, via Wikimedia Commons.
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- 2026-11-03Charles III Tells Commonwealth Summit the Slave Trade Fills His Heart With Horror and Profound Sorrow: No Apology, No Backing for ReparationsThis story
