Britain refuses to issue an official apology or offer compensation for slavery ahead of King Charles’s visit to the Caribbean

Britain refuses to officially apologize or pay compensation for its role in the transatlantic slave trade, as pressure from Africa and the Caribbean grows ahead of King Charles and Queen Camilla’s visit to the Bahamas, Guyana, and Antigua and Barbuda, scheduled for between October 27 and November 4.

Buckingham Palace announced that the King will acknowledge British involvement in slavery, without, however, issuing an official apology. The tour takes place during the same period as the meeting of Commonwealth leaders, where reparations are expected to be one of the main topics.

Ghana is leading the campaign for reparations, after President John Dramani Mahama contributed to the adoption of a UN resolution describing the trafficking and enslavement of Africans as the gravest crime against humanity. In June, African and Caribbean states adopted the “Accra Commitments,” a document calling for apologies, reparations, the restitution of cultural objects, and measures to reduce the economic effects of slavery and colonialism.

In September, Jamaica called for Britain’s responsibility to be examined by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, with the support of CARICOM and Ghana. London is currently rejecting both an apology and the payment of reparations.

Read also Britain discusses with the EU a possible return to free movement