Prince William Stops Short of Apologizing to Jamaica: Slavery Should Never Have Happened

Prince William addressed the protest in Jamaica over the British royal family’s association with the slave trade by expressing his “profound sorrow,” adding that “it should never have happened.”

Speaking at a dinner in Jamaica surrounded by dignitaries, William said, “I strongly agree with my father, the Prince of Wales who said in Barbados last year that the appalling atrocity of slavery forever stains our history. I want to express my profound sorrow. Slavery was abhorrent. And it should never have happened. “

This comes after some Jamaicans protested the royal couple’s arrival to the Caribbean nation on Tuesday and demanded reparations and an apology for the slave trade and colonialism while mounting 60 reasons why Queen Elizabeth ll should no longer be the country’s head of state.

William stopped short of apologizing, but added, “While the pain runs deep, Jamaica continues to forge its future with determination, courage and fortitude.”

William promised to further address the discussion on International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade scheduled next week.

Following Barbados’ removal of Queen Elizabeth as head of state in November, Jamaica is in discussions to do the same. Reports are that Prime Minister Andrew Holding has already given instructions to reform the constitution for the island nation to become a republic which may require a referendum.

Holness told William during a photoshoot, “There are issues here which as you would know are unresolved.  But Jamaica is as you would see, a country that is very proud…and we’re moving on. And we intend…to fulfill our true ambition of being an independent, fully developed and prosperous country.”