By: Staff Writer
November 6, 2026
King Charles III on his visit to Antigua and Barbuda for the 28th Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOGM) meeting openly acknowledged the shameful chapter that the international trade of enslaved Africans was on the world’s history.
His Majesty said: “None of us, of course, would be here today were it not for our history, which has shaped us in myriad ways. History is not ours to choose or to change. It is bequeathed to us in complex synthesis by forebears we can never know. Our inheritance includes both their achievements and their failures – the good they did as well as the wrongs.
History can be hard to compass, viewed as it is through the prism of time, which can be both clarifying and distorting, and yet its consequences resonate with contemporary force. Our history inspires us, can appall us, yet it can always teach us. We cannot change the actions of those who came before us.
We can, however, learn from the past. The transatlantic trade in enslaved persons still casts a shadow over these islands and other Members of our Commonwealth. As I have said before, that shameful chapter of history is one that fills my heart with horror and my soul with the most profound personal sorrow.”
His Majesty added: “And yet 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.
“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 intraCommonwealth 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.
“I have always tried to play my part in doing just that. For, as any sailor navigating the seas knows, we cannot command the winds, least of all where the winds of yesterday have delivered us – but we can choose how we set our sails.”
The United Kingdom has agreed to engage in a “structured, time-bound, inclusive and good-faith dialogue” with Caribbean nations on the historical harms of the transatlantic slave trade, as announced during the CHOGM meeting.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham stated he is open to a formal apology for Britain’s role in the slave trade, marking a shift in tone. However, the UK government has firmly ruled out direct financial reparations, proposing instead to focus on development assistance and debt-restructuring options for partner nations.