The King to speak about slavery with ‘unflinching honesty’ at Commonwealth summit in Antigua

1st November 2026

Updated 2 Nov 2026, 08:34 · First published 1 Nov 2026

The King will speak about Britain’s role in the transatlantic slave trade with “unflinching honesty” when he addresses Commonwealth leaders in Antigua on Tuesday, Buckingham Palace has said.

👑 The King in Antigua
📍 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), St John’s, Antigua and Barbuda
📅 Summit runs 1 to 4 November; the King speaks on Tuesday 3 November
🌍 Leaders and representatives from the Commonwealth’s 56 member countries

Charles is on the final leg of a nine-day Caribbean tour with Queen Camilla. The Palace says he will acknowledge the lasting pain of slavery with “sincere sorrow” and “will not shy away from confronting the most shameful aspects of the past during this visit”.

A tour shaped by history

The tour began in the Bahamas, where the King spoke of the “suffering of the past”. In Guyana he visited Independence Park in Georgetown, the site of public executions that followed the Demerara slave rebellion of 1823.

He arrived in Antigua on Friday evening. Today, 1 November, the King and Queen attend a church service and join celebrations for Antigua and Barbuda’s Independence Day.

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“The King will not shy away from confronting the most shameful aspects of the past during this visit.”Buckingham Palace

No apology expected from the King

No apology is expected in the speech. Royal sources say a formal apology is a matter for the government, not the Palace, and the Palace said it would “not be appropriate” for the King to comment on the government’s position.

That position has shifted. Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he is “open” to the UK formally apologising for its role in slavery. Writing in the Guardian, he called the slave trade a “brutal and barbaric violation” and said Britain “must face up to the past”. The UK has never formally apologised for slavery or offered reparations. The Palace says the King’s speech has not been changed in response to the Prime Minister’s comments.

Reparations on the summit agenda

Reparations are expected to be discussed at the summit. The host, Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne, has called for the Commonwealth to set up a framework to address the issue, and Caribbean (CARICOM) leaders want it given a prominent place. It is the first summit under Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey. This year’s theme is “Accelerating Partnerships and Investment for a Prosperous Commonwealth”.

Sources: BBC News (via Yahoo News), Commonwealth Secretariat, 2026 CHOGM. Photo: St John’s, Antigua, D’Arcy Norman, CC BY 2.0.

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