We and our partners do the following data processing based on your consent: store and/or access information on a device, personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development King Charles says he has greater understanding of 'horrors' of slavery, falls short of apology King Charles III told the heads of 56 Commonwealth countries on Tuesday that he has a greater understanding of the horrors of slavery, calling it a "shameful chapter of history".This comes as Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he was open to the United Kingdom apologising for the transatlantic slave trade. A protester calls for reparations from Britain as King Charles III attends the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in St.John's, Antigua and Barbuda, on November 3, 2026. © Matias Delacroix, AP King Charles told Commonwealth leaders on Tuesday that his greater understanding of the horrors of slavery had made him more determined to address past wrongs, but they needed to look to the future and ensure "evil need not have the last word". The run up to the gathering of the 56 member states, which comprise mostly former British colonies, has been dominated by talk of whether Britain should apologiseor pay reparations for the role it played in the transatlantic slave trade.
Read moreKing Charles confronts calls for slavery apology during Caribbean tour While neither the king nor Britain has so far given such an apology or discussed paying reparations, both Charles and new prime minister Andy Burnham have talked of using the Commonwealth to address modern needs, by providing support on climate change, education and health. Burnham has also gone further than other prime ministers by saying he was open to Britain apologising for slavery and officials were holding talks with national leaders at the summit in Antigua and Barbuda to discuss what form that could take. "We cannot change the actions of those who came before us," Charles, the head of the Commonwealth, told leaders in his opening speech.
"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." Charles said the more he had "furthered my own understanding of the issues, through listening, learning and looking", the more committed he had become to finding ways for the different countries to build modern partnerships that can address the wrongs of the past.
He listed access to education, jobs and opportunities, as well as intra-Commonwealth trade and climate change resilience as ways of helping those "who struggle against hardship and disadvantage". Burnham has also said he would like to discuss debt resets for smaller Commonwealth nations and has announced a £40 million ($54 million) investment into critical infrastructure in the Caribbean over the next three years. "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 sail," Charles said. 1. 1 ## Nine killed as business jet crashes into South Florida neighbourhood Americas 2. 2 ## 'Atmosphere of fear': Trump moves to curtail voting rights ahead of the midterms Americas 3. 3 ## Some 320,000 demonstrators take part in largely peaceful protests across France France 4. 4 ## Iran's Khamenei warns US and Israel against new attacks Middle East 5. 5 ## Iran warns renewed war with US could outlast previous conflict Middle East Includes a video 1 min 6. 6 ## French high school blockades to restart on Monday, student unions say France © 2026 Copyright France 24 - All rights reserved.
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