King acknowledges 'suffering of the past' as Caribbean tour begins

Image source, Reuters

King Charles has arrived in the Bahamas for a nine-day tour of the Caribbean – the first time he has visited the region as monarch.

The King, wearing sunglasses and a grey suit, was given a ceremonial welcome at the airport and was greeted by the island’s Governor General Dame Cynthia A. Pratt and its Prime Minister Philip Edward.

He spoke with members of the Royal Bahamian Defence Force as he inspected a Guard of Honour on the runway.

Buckingham Palace says the King will not shy away from “colonial legacy” and the impact of the slave trade during the visit but, in line with the UK government position, he will not apologise for Britain’s role in the slave trade.

Nor will he offer reparations – compensation from countries that took part in the slave trade.

His first engagement is at a youth rally at Clifford Park where the King attended the island’s independence celebrations as Prince of Wales in 1973.

The King is also expected to address his 50-year-long commitment to fighting climate change, highlighting the challenges faced by low-lying Caribbean islands, saying that “our world cries out for healing”.

And he will call on the young people at the rally to “take up the sacred task to play your part” as “in years to come, this will be surely be the measure of every person – how they answered the call to care for planet earth – the source of our life, our prosperity and our security.”

Buckingham Palace says opportunities for the King to reflect on the legacy of the slave trade will be built into his schedule in all three countries with visits planned to memorials and other places of reflection and remembrance.

A spokesperson for the palace tells the BBC that the King’s programme on the tour “will primarily focus on shining a light on the many modern partnerships and opportunities for the future”, specifically those which are “having a transformative effect on the region”.

For the King, the spokesperson added, the “tour is both a new journey but also the continuance of a lifelong one, in which he has sought to engage, understand and educate about the most shameful aspects of our past”.

Those themes will be reflected by the King through the nine-day visit, the palace said.

The visit has been planned alongside the governments of the Bahamas, Guyana and Antigua and Barbuda with an emphasis on honouring the past but also looking forward to the ambition and possibility for future generations.

The King will move to Guyana later this week where his engagements will focus on the environment and biodiversity.

He will then visit Antigua and Barbuda, where he will be joined by Queen Camilla, for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) and his keynote speech as leader of the Commonwealth.

CHOGM is a biennial summit which brings together leaders of 56 Commonwealth countries to address shared challenges and advance cooperation.

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