King Charles III is to speak with “unflinching honesty” and “sincere sorrow” on the lasting pain of the transatlantic slave trade during the final leg of his Caribbean tour in Antigua, Buckingham Palace has said.
The King will address Commonwealth leaders on Tuesday in a speech that will touch on the issue.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham earlier wrote in the Guardian, external that he was “open” to the possibility of the UK formally apologising for its role in slavery – a change in the government’s stance.
It is understood the Palace was told in advance of Burnham’s comments in an opinion piece on Friday night, and that the King has not made any changes to his speech in light of them.
The British government has never formally apologised for slavery or offered to pay reparations.
Burnham has previously stuck with the policy of his predecessors and stopped short of offering any consideration of reparation payments.
In an address to the nation to mark Antigua and Barbuda’s independence day, Prime Minister Gaston Browne said the history of slavery was painful and “its consequences have not disappeared with the passage of time”.
He said the country’s pursuit of reparatory justice deserved “seriousness, sensitivity and sustained international engagement”.
Browne went on to say that his government was having these conversations in bilateral discussions with the UK and other Commonwealth countries at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch described “endless talk about apologies” as a “distraction” from solving current problems.
She told BBC Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg: “The transatlantic slave trade happened centuries ago. It is time for the Commonwealth to start looking forwards, not endlessly backwards.”
The King will make his speech at the CHOGM.
He “will not shy away from confronting the most shameful aspects of the past during this visit”, a Palace spokesperson said.
“You may therefore expect him to address them in his speech with unflinching honesty, sincere sorrow and respect for the wider discussions that will be taking place between relevant governments on this issue at CHOGM and beyond.”
When asked about the King’s reaction to the prime minister’s comments, the spokesperson said it would “not be appropriate” for the King to address matters of policy relating to the government’s position.
The Caribbean tour has again thrust the King into the difficult debates over the UK’s colonial legacy in the region.
On his first stop in the Bahamas, the King delivered a speech in which he spoke of the “suffering of the past”.
In Guyana, he visited the site of a Slave Rebellion, where hundreds of enslaved people were killed.
Buckingham Palace said it was a moment for the King to learn more about the history of slavery and resistance. His engagements have also covered the environment, opportunities for young people and trade relationships with the UK.
