King Charles calls slave trade a 'shameful chapter' but stops short of apology

Summary

King Charles III opened the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua and Barbuda on Tuesday by telling leaders of the 56 member countries that he has a greater understanding of the horrors of slavery, calling the transatlantic slave trade a 'monstrous injustice' and a 'shameful chapter of history'. He said slavery 'still casts a shadow over these islands and other members' of the group, many of them former British colonies, but he stopped short of an apology. He did not explicitly support reparations, saying 'We cannot change the actions of those who came before us' and 'We can, however, learn from the past'. Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who is holding talks at the summit, said he was open to the UK apologising for its role in the slave trade. Caribbean leaders and campaigners intensified their demands for an apology and reparations. Kemi Badenoch said she did not agree that the UK should reconsider its Commonwealth membership over reparations requests, arguing that an apology would make the country look weak.

Timeline

1. France 24

   3 Nov 2026, 15:26 UTCSource ↗

   France 24 reports that King Charles told the heads of 56 Commonwealth countries that he has a greater understanding of the horrors of slavery, calling it a 'shameful chapter of history', while Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he was open to the UK apologising for the transatlantic slave trade.

2. The Guardian

   3 Nov 2026, 16:33 UTCSource ↗

   The Guardian's live blog reports that Charles's speech formally opened the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua, and that Kemi Badenoch said she did not agree the UK should reconsider Commonwealth membership because an apology would make the country look weak.

3. BBC

   3 Nov 2026, 17:04 UTCSource ↗

   BBC News reports that the king called the slave trade a 'shameful chapter' during his Commonwealth address, which came after calls for the UK government to issue a formal apology for Britain's historic role in the trade.

4. The Guardian

   3 Nov 2026, 17:32 UTCSource ↗

   The Guardian reports that the king did not give explicit support for reparations but said he wanted to 'address past wrongs', as Caribbean leaders and campaigners intensified demands for an apology and reparations from Britain.

5. South China Morning Post

   3 Nov 2026, 18:08 UTCSource ↗

   The South China Morning Post reports that Charles called the transatlantic slave trade 'a monstrous injustice' and said slavery still casts a shadow over the islands and other members, while Burnham holds talks about apologising.

6. Africanews

   3 Nov 2026, 20:17 UTCSource ↗

   Africanews reports that Charles called the transatlantic slave trade a 'monstrous injustice' in his speech to Commonwealth leaders but stopped short of an apology.