King Charles Says Commonwealth Leaders Will Discuss Slavery's Legacy as Caribbean Tour Begins

King Charles has confirmed that the legacy of slavery will be on the agenda when Commonwealth leaders meet next week, as he began a nine-day tour of the Caribbean.

The king arrived in the Bahamas to a ceremonial welcome and attended a youth rally at Clifford Park, where the country formally gained independence from British colonial rule in 1973. The visit comes as Caribbean nations renew their calls for Britain to apologise for the atrocities of transatlantic slavery and to enter reparations talks.

The tour includes a solo state visit to Guyana. It will end with the king presiding over the Commonwealth heads of government meeting, known as Chogm, which is being hosted by Antigua and Barbuda.

Speaking in the Bahamas on Tuesday, Charles said: "Some of what is best in Bahamian culture today, the most joyful, the most hopeful, the most bright, was born out of darkness." He added that it was right to acknowledge the great suffering of the past in the islands and beyond, even while celebrating present successes and building future opportunities. He said Chogm leaders would discuss matters relating to slavery's legacy in Antigua.

The Bahamas National Reparations Committee responded that his comments "fall short of what justice requires". In a statement, it said Bahamian culture was born out of agency and the will to survive, not out of darkness, and that it did not need the king to praise it. Instead, it said, it wanted him to speak about his role in the darkness and explain how he planned to atone. The committee called for a full and formal apology.

Dr Niambi Hall Campbell-Dean, the committee's chair, told the Guardian she appreciated his attempt to connect with Bahamian culture but felt his words were "like hollow platitudes". She said her critique was not meant to spoil the celebrations, and that it came from pride in Bahamians. Prof Hilary Beckles, chair of the Caribbean Community Reparations Commission, said the region sought "proprietary justice, beginning with remorse". He said the king should "dig deep within his consciousness" when speaking to young Caribbean people.

Charles travels to Guyana on Thursday, where President Mohamed Irfaan Ali recently called on the monarch to take the next step and offer an apology. The king follows the guidance of his ministers, and it is understood the government has not advised him to offer an apology or reparations, in keeping with established policy. Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband will join him in Antigua for the leaders' gathering.

The king has spoken on the subject before. At the 2021 ceremony marking Barbados becoming a republic, he called slavery an "appalling atrocity" that "forever stains our history". In 2022, at the opening of a Commonwealth summit hosted by Rwanda, he said he was continuing to deepen his understanding of slavery's enduring impact.

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said that, at the request of host governments, the programme will mainly highlight modern partnerships and future opportunities in the region. The spokesperson described the tour as both a new journey and the continuation of a lifelong effort to engage with and educate about the most shameful aspects of the past, which would be reflected in differing ways and words during the visit.