King Charles reminds world how Britain helped END slave trade and does not offer formal apology

Speaking to Commonwealth leaders in Antigua this afternoon, His Majesty said: “The transatlantic trade in enslaved persons still casts a shadow over these islands and other Members of our Commonwealth.

“That shameful chapter of history is one that fills my heart with horror and my soul with the most profound personal sorrow.”

The word “sorrow” is very different from the word “sorry”; the latter perhaps leaves one more exposed to potential legal challenges for reparations.

It has been a full 20 years since the former Prime Minister Tony Blair first used the word “sorrow”, marking the bicentenary of the 1807 Slave Trade (abolition) Act, describing the practice as “one of the most inhuman enterprises in history”.

He, too, stopped short of a full apology, so why is the conversation growing louder 20 years on?

Campaigners claim intergenerational trauma still exists today, but as King Charles pointed out in his speech: “The more I have furthered my own understanding of the issues, through listening, learning and looking, the more committed I have become to finding ways for us to work in modern partnership to address the wrongs of the past with action for the future.

“Through improving access to education, investing in jobs and opportunities, encouraging Commonwealth trade, and inspiring vital climate resilience measures across the world, I have always felt that there is so much that can be done to help lift up those who struggle against hardship and disadvantage.”

Andy Burnham is expected to take part in talks with other Commonwealth leaders, but many of them are still demanding an apology and potential financial reparations; the UK Government has ruled out the latter.

Meanwhile, King Charles also used his speech to remind the world how Britain helped end the abhorrent practice of forcibly transporting people across the Atlantic to work on plantations.

His Majesty said: “History also teaches us that evil need not have the last word; that character and courage can combine to overcome the most monstrous injustice, as they did with the determination to end international trade in enslaved people, in which the Royal Navy played such a leading role.”

Between 1,500 and 2,000 Royal Navy sailors are estimated to have lost their lives while enforcing the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade as part of the West African Squadron between 1808 and 1865.

They freed around 150,000 African people from captivity, a number of them forcibly rounded up by African leaders themselves.

Meanwhile, Andy Burnham is expected to set out plans for a “debt reset” aimed at helping Commonwealth countries grappling with repayments, and previously said Britain will play a leading role in a “new era” for the group of nations.

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has questioned the point of the Commonwealth if the conversation is constantly dominated by slavery, apologies and reparations.

As many GB News viewers and listeners have asked: “What’s in it for us?”

Advantages for British citizens are largely indirect, with trading ties and diplomacy providing economic opportunities for the Treasury.

Caribbean citizens, meanwhile, arguably have far more benefits, including targeted development support, climate advocacy for vulnerable nations, and special educational or professional pathways.

Many of these nations, however, do directly descend from slaves, forced to work on plantations, which some argue helped enrich the United Kingdom.

As for King Charles, he has decades of experience navigating these delicate diplomatic challenges.

His speech remained above politics, encouraging Commonwealth leaders to work together on a shared future.

It is up to politicians both at home and abroad to come to a shared consensus, treating all citizens of the Commonwealth equally and fairly.