Le Figaro Actualités40 minutes agoPolitics2 min readFrance

Charles III to address colonial slavery during Caribbean visit in October

Quick Look

King Charles III, aged 77 and undergoing treatment for an undisclosed cancer, will travel to the Bahamas, Guyana and Antigua and Barbuda from October 27 to November 4 to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, where he will address colonial legacy and transatlantic slavery without shying away from the "darkest days" of British history, despite the British government's refusal to pay reparations.

AI-generated summary

Why It Matters

The United Kingdom has a complex relationship with its former Caribbean colonies, marked by the history of transatlantic slavery. Several countries, including Jamaica, are demanding reparations for the damage suffered, while the British monarchy, under Charles III, seeks to recognize this difficult past while directing visits towards the future.

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Charles III, who is visiting the Caribbean at the end of October, “will not avoid” during this visit the subject of slavery in the colonial era recalling the “darkest days” of British history, Buckingham Palace said on Friday. The trip of the 77-year-old British monarch, who is still being treated for cancer the nature of which has not been revealed, will take place from October 27 to November 4. Charles III is first expected in the Bahamas, then will travel to Guyana, the only Commonwealth country on the South American continent.

The King will finally be joined by his wife, Queen Camilla, in Antigua and Barbuda, in the Caribbean, where the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting will take place from November 1-4. This meeting takes place “at an important moment” in the history of relations between the United Kingdom and the Caribbean countries, Buckingham Palace stressed during a briefing with journalists. “Important debates are underway about the colonial legacy and transgenerational consequences of the transatlantic slave trade,” the palace continued.

“Atrocity”

In 2021, during a visit to Barbados, Charles, then Prince of Wales, called slavery an “atrocity” that “forever taints our history”. “The program of the visit will not seek to avoid 'the darkest days of our past', in the words used by Her Majesty,” Buckingham added. “But, in accordance with the wishes of the host countries, it will be primarily focused on the dynamic present and the promising future of each of them.”

The British government refuses to pay reparations for the UK's past role in slavery. In early September, the Jamaican government submitted a petition to Charles III "to advance the campaign... for reparations for African ancestors who suffered during hundreds of years of slavery." “The United Kingdom does not pay (reparations) and never will,” replied a Downing Street spokesperson. Charles III's visit will coincide with Antigua and Barbuda's Independence Day on November 1, and his visit to Guyana will coincide with the 60th anniversary of that country's independence.

Charles' son, Prince William, himself traveled with his wife Kate to the Caribbean in 2022, a tour which turned into a fiasco, marked by hostile demonstrations and communication errors. The couple had been asked to apologize for the UK's slavery past.

What to Watch

AI outlook — possibilities, not facts

Caribbean countries will renew their demands for reparations at the Commonwealth meeting and could obtain a symbolic commitment to recognize historical harm.
Likely · Within weeks
The British government will maintain its refusal to pay financial reparations, but may accept non-financial forms of recognition or development programs.
Very likely · Within months

Open Questions

What will be the precise content of the debates on colonial heritage at the Commonwealth meeting?
Will Caribbean countries obtain concrete commitments on reparations during this visit?
How will Charles III's health evolve during his cancer treatment?
Will the visit reduce tensions or, on the contrary, exacerbate them?