King Charles III has begun his tour of the Caribbean by acknowledging the "great suffering of the past" as he faced calls for slavery reparations. Speaking an event in the Bahamas celebrating local youth, the King said the country's culture was "born out of darkness", and it was "only right" to acknowledge historic injustices. His nine-day tour will culminate in the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), where the King has confirmed leaders will discuss the region's legacy of slavery.
The visit, his first as monarch, comes in the wake of renewed calls from Caribbean nations for Britain to apologise for its role in selling enslaved people for profit. Prior to the trip, Buckingham Palace said the King would not shy away from "colonial legacy" and the impact of the slave trade during his visit but, in line with the UK government position, he will not apologise for Britain's role in the slave trade or offer reparations. Upon his arrival on Tuesday, the King met Governor General Dame Cynthia A.
Pratt and its Prime Minister Philip Edward Davis, before speaking with members of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force as he inspected a guard of honour. King Charles, wearing sunglasses and a grey suit, was then met with cheers as he arrived for his first engagement at a youth rally at Clifford Park - where he attended independence celebrations for the Bahamas as Prince of Wales in 1973. The young people in the crowd had been given time off school for the event.
"It's my first time seeing him in person out of TikTok so he's out there, it's cool," one student told the BBC. A small group of protestors gathered close to the rally shouting "pay us what you owe us" and "return artefacts you've stolen." The group of around a dozen protestors was kept outside the main venue as they called on the King to help change the UK government's position on apologising and offering reparations. "He's a man of influence.
The Crown still has influence. And if they do not do it then we will become a republic and we will turn our backs on England if you do not show respect to the former colonies," said one protestor, Sharon Purcer-Cooper. During his speech in Nassau, the King acknowledged his 50-year-long commitment to fighting climate change and highlighted the challenges faced by low-lying Caribbean islands, saying that "our world cries out for healing".
He went on to call on young people at the rally to "take up the sacred task to play your part" as "in years to come, this will be surely be the measure of every person - how they answered the call to care for planet earth - the source of our life, our prosperity and our security". The King resumes engagements in the Bahamas on Wednesday, where he will hear how vulnerable the low lying islands of the Caribbean are to climate change. He will also learn more about the Bahamian tradition of Junkanoo - a cultural festival and street parade.
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