England's King Charles is on his way to the Caribbean. Former colonies are waiting for an apology

England's King Charles III is traveling to the Caribbean amid debates about the centuries-old legacy of slave trade and colonialism.

The 77-year-old King, who is undergoing cancer treatment, will visit three former British colonies in the region in his nine-day intensive program that starts today.

The trip coincides with a period when demands for the British monarchy to confront the dark pages in its history, make an official apology and pay financial compensation are being voiced loudest.

King Charles will first visit the island countries of the Bahamas and Guyana alone. His wife, Queen Camilla, will join him in Antigua and Barbuda, the last stop of the trip.

Here, the King will address the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), which is held every two years and brings together 56 countries.

According to the AFP agency, Buckingham Palace announced in a statement before the visit that it will not escape from this past, which King Charles himself described as "the darkest days of their history", throughout the trip.

However, the royal family's mere expression of regret for the transatlantic slave trade, from which their ancestors profited for centuries, no longer satisfies the countries in the region.

Independent countries in the Caribbean are demanding that London go beyond symbolic expressions of sorrow.

Jamaica, where Charles still retains the title of head of state, filed a lawsuit for compensation with a court of appeal in London on behalf of its African ancestors who were harmed by centuries of slavery.

Royal circles have not forgotten the anti-monarchy protests and calls for slavery reparations that Prince William and Princess Catherine encountered during their visit to Jamaica in 2022.

Guyana's President Irfaan Ali, one of the visit stops, clearly stated his demands in his statement to the British ITV News channel before his meeting with the King.

Considering King Charles' description of the past as "the darkest days" as just a "first step", Ali said, "The step that needs to be taken now is an official apology."

Guyana leader; He emphasized that London should be held accountable, stating that the old empire exploited the region, destroyed lives and laid the foundations of today's underdevelopment.

Modern British monarchs to this day have expressed varying levels of regret for their role in the slave trade; but no king or queen made a formal state apology.

The London administration, which is under a heavy debt burden, continues to firmly oppose the idea of ​​paying financial compensation.