King Charles III acknowledged the “great suffering of the past” linked to slavery as he began a nine-day Caribbean tour in the Bahamas on Tuesday.
The 77-year-old monarch, who is receiving cancer treatment, addressed a youth rally at Clifford Park in Nassau, the site of the Bahamas’ 1973 independence ceremony. “We know that some of what is best in Bahamian culture today, the most joyful, the most hopeful, the most bright, was born out of darkness,” he said. “It is only right that we should acknowledge the great suffering and injustices of the past in these islands and beyond, even as we rejoice in the successes of the present and build new opportunities for the future” .
Protesters gathered near the event with signs reading “Pay what you owe us,” while others shouted demands for reparations . The Bahamas National Reparations Committee later stated that the king’s remarks “fall short of what justice requires,” calling for a full apology and active steps to remedy historical wrongs .
Charles also highlighted climate threats facing low-lying islands, noting that 90 percent of the Bahamas sits below two meters above sea level . His itinerary includes solo visits to the Bahamas and Guyana before joining Queen Camilla in Antigua and Barbuda for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, where slavery’s legacy will be discussed .
Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali, who will meet Charles, said the king’s recognition of past suffering was only a “first step” and that an apology was necessary . Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey confirmed that reparations would be on the agenda at the summit .
