King Charles III told the official opening of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua and Barbuda that the transatlantic slave trade fills him with horror and "the most profound personal sorrow".
Addressing gathered leaders on Tuesday, the British monarch said slavery "still casts a shadow over these [Caribbean] islands and other members of our Commonwealth". He noted that the Royal Navy had played "a leading role" in bringing the trade to an end.
"We cannot change the actions of those who came before us," Charles said. "We can, however, learn from the past."
The king outlined steps he said could help address historic wrongs, including widening access to education, investing in employment, promoting trade between Commonwealth countries and supporting climate resilience.
The address, however, fell short of the formal apology many Caribbean and African countries had been hoping for. Charles offered no measures to redress the economic and social damage left by slavery, and Buckingham Palace had made clear beforehand that no formal apology would come during his Caribbean tour, which also included stops in the Bahamas and Guyana.
Guyanese President Mohamed Irfaan Ali said in an interview that an apology should be the king's next move. The question of reparations had already surfaced at the last Commonwealth summit in Samoa in 2024, where leaders called for discussions on the issue despite opposition from then-British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Last week, current British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the United Kingdom was open to a formal apology while ruling out financial reparations. Writing in The Guardian, Burnham said he wanted "to express my sorrow and regret for the pain and suffering of so many millions of people", and proposed leading a debt restructuring programme to assist the Commonwealth's poorest nations.
Ahead of the king's speech, a small group of protesters gathered outside the venue carrying signs that read "Acknowledge the wrong. Commit to repair." "Technically, we're free, but mentally a lot of us aren't," said Shana Michelle, from Antigua. "You have to apologise, yes. That is where we start with the repair."
Among the leaders attending Tuesday's opening were Burnham, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
The Commonwealth brings together 56 member nations. Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne told the gathering, "No nation should be forced to mortgage its future simply to survive its present."
