King Charles III’s Caribbean tour renews calls for UK slavery reparations

King Charles III’s nine-day trip of the Caribbean is restoring dispute over the British monarchy’s historic links to slavery.

At an occasion in the Bahamas on Wednesday, Charles stated the nation’s culture was “substantiated of darkness.” It was “just right,” he stated, to acknowledge historical oppressions.

Advocates in the area state the king and his nation require to do more, beginning with an apology and monetary reparations.

“One of the most important things that when I go to the Caribbean, people emphasise what they want is recognition,” states Diana Paton, Professor of History at the University of Edinburgh.

“Recognition of this harm that was done to their ancestors and that echoes down the generations, that sort of pain and and also the economic implications of that. So an apology is really important, but also investment in things like education, in health systems.”

Others want to see the king utilize his Caribbean trip as a chance to bring the concern into public conversation and participate in significant discussion with the descendants of enslaved individuals.

“The King is not only head of the Commonwealth, he’s also still the head of a number of Commonwealth realms,” states Brooke Newman, an associate teacher of history at Virginia Commonwealth University.

“And he is the institutional head of an organization that was associated with the transatlantic servant trade, that basically broadened the servant trade that benefited from it and gained from it and protected it for centuries without ever formally acknowledging this function. Therefore I believe part of the existing concern is that the UK federal government has actually made it really clear that they are not thinking about going over reparations and they are not thinking about excusing slavery. And it does not matter if it’s a Tory or Labour PM who is presently in charge, they are simply not thinking about this problem whatsoever.”

Are reparations a matter for the king?

Craig Prescott, a specialist on UK constitutional law at Royal Holloway, University of London, stated choices on reparations rest with the British federal government, instead of the king, since any payments would originate from public funds and need federal government responsibility to Parliament.

“It’s not a matter for the king,” Prescott stated. “It is the longstanding policy of the federal government to, yes, keep in mind that slavery took place which it is a stain on British history, however that reparations are not payable.”

Next week, Charles will go to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting and consult with leaders of 56 member states.