King Charles brands UK slave trade ‘monstrous’ – but stops short of offering apology

The King has said the slave trade “fills my heart with horror” during a speech to Commonwealth leaders at a summit in the Caribbean, where the UK has faced mounting demands to pay reparations for its role in the slave trade.

King Charles said: “The transatlantic trade in enslaved persons still casts a shadow over these islands and other members of our Commonwealth.

“As I have said before, that shameful chapter of history is one that fills my heart with horror and my soul with the most profound personal sorrow.”

Earlier this week prime minister Andy Burnham signalled that he was “open” to a formal apology for Britain’s role in the transatlantic slave trade and approved £40m in aid funding for the Caribbean amid calls for the UK to pay reparations.

Delivering his keynote speech to presidents and prime ministers, he described his “growing commitment” to finding ways to work in “modern partnership to address the wrongs of the past with action for the future”.

“And yet history also teaches us that evil need not have the last word; that character and courage can combine to overcome the most monstrous injustice, as they did with the determination to end international trade in enslaved people, in which the Royal Navy played such a leading role,” he said.

“The more I have furthered my own understanding of the issues, through listening, learning and looking, the more committed I have become to finding ways for us to work in modern partnership to address the wrongs of the past with action for the future.

“Through improving access to education, investing in jobs and opportunities, encouraging intra-Commonwealth trade, and inspiring vital climate resilience measures across the world, I have always felt that there is so much that can be done to help lift up those who struggle against hardship and disadvantage.”

He said: “History can be hard to compass, viewed as it is through the prism of time, which can be both clarifying and distorting, and yet its consequences resonate with contemporary force.

“Our history inspires us, can appal us, yet it can always teach us. We cannot change the actions of those who came before us. We can, however, learn from the past.”