King Charles Caribbean Tour Begins Amid Calls for Slavery Apology and Reparations

King Charles III and Queen Camilla begin a Caribbean tour today, Tuesday 27 October, that will take them to the Bahamas, Guyana and Antigua and Barbuda, where the King will attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) amid renewed calls for an apology and reparations for Britain’s role in the transatlantic slave trade. Buckingham Palace has said the visit will not shy away from “the darkest days of our past”.

The trip, of just over a week, is one of the most closely watched of the King’s reign. The BBC has described it as potentially the “biggest risk” of his time on the throne, because it brings him face to face with a region where pressure for reparatory justice has grown sharply in recent years.

Where Is King Charles Going on His Caribbean Tour?

• The Bahamas: the first stop, where a Rastafarian-led protest is planned during the royal visit on Tuesday and Wednesday, The Guardian reported.
• Guyana: the only South American country on the itinerary, whose president, Irfaan Ali, has said he wants progress towards reparations, beginning with an apology.
• Antigua and Barbuda: host of this year’s CHOGM, where Commonwealth leaders gather.

The Guardian reported that the King is expected to deliver three significant speeches during the tour.

Will the King Apologise for Slavery?

Not formally, on current indications. According to PA Media, as reported by the BBC, the UK government has not advised the King to apologise or to offer reparations, and constitutionally he acts on ministers’ advice on such matters. Last month a Downing Street spokesperson called the transatlantic slave trade “abhorrent” but said the UK’s position was that it does not pay reparations.

The palace has pointed to the King’s previous statements. A spokesperson said discussions about colonial legacy “are primarily matters for Governments to address”, but that the King had been “unequivocal” in describing slavery as an “atrocity” which “forever stains our history”. He has also previously expressed his “personal sorrow” at the UK’s role. The palace said the tour would “principally be oriented to the vibrant present and promising future of each country”.

Why Are Reparations Back on the Agenda?

Several developments have raised the stakes since the Prince and Princess of Wales’s 2022 Caribbean tour, which drew criticism across the region. The Guardian highlighted a UN resolution, tabled by Ghana, declaring the transatlantic slave trade the gravest crime against humanity and calling for reparatory justice. Jamaica, where the King is still head of state, has prepared a petition asking him to refer three questions about the legality of the enslavement of Africans in Jamaica to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council; The Guardian said it is due to be heard next March.

Reparations are not formally on the CHOGM agenda, but Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, chair of the Caricom Reparations Commission, has said that for everyone from the Caribbean and Africa attending, “this will be the number one item on the table”.

What Are Campaigners Saying?

Patrick Vernon, a cultural historian and UK representative of the Global Jamaica Diaspora Council, told The Guardian the trip was “the biggest crossroads for the Commonwealth since its creation”. Bell Ribeiro-Addy, the Labour MP who chairs the all-party parliamentary group for Afrikan reparations, said a successful trip would include an apology followed quickly by a discussion of how to move forward.

In the Bahamas, Rastafarian leader High Priest Richmond McKinney, who protested against Queen Elizabeth II in the 1980s, said: “You say you regret slavery, but your regret is not good enough. We want a full apology from you.”

What Happens Next?

Campaigners warn that a visit seen as falling short could speed moves in some Caribbean realms to replace the King as head of state, as Barbados did in 2021. MediaPavilion will follow the King’s speeches and the CHOGM outcome.

For more from the region, see our coverage of Lula’s fourth-term win in Brazil and Alberta’s referendum result on remaining in Canada.

Featured image: Hayden Soloviev / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0. King Charles III arriving at Rideau Hall, Ottawa, in 2025; file photo, not from the Caribbean tour.

Sources

• BBC News — King’s Caribbean tour will not shy away from ‘darkest days of our past’ (26 October 2026).
• BBC News — Why the King’s Caribbean tour could be ‘biggest risk of his reign’ (October 2026).
• The Guardian — ‘We want a full apology for slavery’: Commonwealth at a crossroads as king heads to the Caribbean (27 October 2026).
• The Guardian — King Charles urged ‘as human brother’ to support reparations talks at Caribbean summit (22 October 2026).