bahamas

“I love you forever but for now take your rest my sweet boy,” Garthia St Vil shared as she said goodbye to her son, Jayden Ferguson.

The 15-year-old Grade 10 student of Harbour Island All Age School died after getting into difficulties while swimming on Sunday, October 25. Another teenage boy who was with him managed to make it back to shore, but Jayden was not seen again.

For his mother, the loss is especially devastating. Jayden was her eldest child and leaves behind two younger siblings.

His uncle, Henry Solomon, told The Tribune that the family had not expected Jayden to be at the beach that day. Around 4pm, he had told his mother he was going to study with a friend.

Solomon described his nephew as a good young man with an entrepreneurial spirit. The two had worked together during the summers for the past two years.

Jayden was a student to Harbour Island. He was a son, a nephew, a friend and a familiar face in a close-knit community that is now struggling with his absence.

His mother also took time to thank the people who stood beside her family during the search.

“From the bottom of my heart I want to say a big thank you to everyone who helped search for my son Jayden and to everyone who showed love and support and kindness to me and my family during this very difficult time,” she wrote.

“Y’all showed up for my boy.”

Harbour Island All Age School remembered Jayden as one of its own, describing him as a beloved student and member of its school family.

“Jayden is not just a student. He is our child, our Cougar, and a valued member of our school family,” the school said, thanking those who assisted in the search and asking the community to continue supporting his loved ones.

Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Chester Cooper also expressed condolences, noting that grief counselling and psychological support for students and staff began on Tuesday with the assistance of local pastors and a psychologist.

Messages of grief have continued across the island, with residents remembering Jayden as a happy, smiling young man whose presence left an impression on those he encountered.

Tamara Lorey said in a post, “We lost a young, happy, always smiling young man…taken too young. The ocean is powerful. He will be missed by all in this small community.”

The 2022 royal visit had a wealthy crypto backer. Four years later, the public is still asking what King Charles’ visit will cost.

When Prince William and Kate visited the Bahamas in March 2022, the royal spectacle came with a reported $636,194 government budget. But behind the scenes, another source of money helped support the occasion, Sam Bankman-Fried, the then-billionaire founder of cryptocurrency exchange FTX whose headquarters was in the Bahamas.

FTX reportedly paid for the ballroom used for the royal reception. Bankman-Fried’s financial support for the event was not publicly disclosed at the time. His role offers a revealing backdrop to the renewed questions about who pays when royalty comes to the Bahamas.

Later in 2022, Bankman-Fried’s crypto empire collapsed, and he was arrested on fraud charges. His downfall transformed the image of a wealthy benefactor whose money had flowed into events and causes associated with the governing Progressive Liberal Party.

Now, with King Charles III visiting the Bahamas in October 2026, the question of royal spending has returned. But there is no Bankman-Fried to help underwrite the occasion.

Prime Minister Philip Davis appeared caught off guard when asked about the cost of the King’s visit on Wednesday.

“The dollar figure? I don’t know anything about that,” Davis said, before questioning why the reporter wanted to raise the issue and walking away.

Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell took a more defensive approach, insisting that the spending was justified.

“This is the king of the Bahamas who’s coming, so the spending is appropriate for that visit, and it’ll not break the bank,” Mitchell said.

Yet Mitchell could not provide a total cost or say whether the expenses had been itemised. Finance Minister Michael Halkitis had previously said agencies were still calculating the government’s contribution, with costs expected to be shared with the Sovereign Grant.

In 2022, the government eventually published a breakdown of its $636,194 budget. For the 2026 visit, the final public cost remains unclear.

The issue is whether the public should have to wait until after the pageantry to learn how much was spent, who contributed and what taxpayers ultimately paid.

Bankman-Fried’s role in the earlier visit also raises questions about the influence of private wealth in public affairs, particularly when donations and sponsorships are not publicly disclosed.

Royal visits may be ceremonial, but the money behind them is a matter of public accountability. The public deserves to see the numbers.

The Bahamas National Reparations Committee has criticised King Charles III’s remarks on the legacy of slavery, saying his acknowledgement of historical suffering falls short of the apology and action it believes are necessary to address the harm caused by the Crown.

In a statement responding to the King’s speech on Tuesday, the committee said Bahamian culture was not “born out of darkness”, but was shaped by the agency, resilience and determination of people who survived slavery and its lasting effects.

“Our culture was born out of agency and out of the w  ill to survive despite the horrors, trauma and degradation,” the statement said, describing Bahamian culture as a testament to the power of the human spirit.

The committee argued that praise for Bahamian culture was not enough, calling on the King to address the Crown’s role in slavery and explain how it intends to atone for the harm committed in its name.

“We need him to speak about his role in the darkness and how he plans to atone for it actively,” the statement said.

The BNRC added that the King’s comments fell short of what justice requires: “a full and formal apology”, alongside steps to remedy historical wrongs.

Dr Niambi Hall Campbell-Dean, the committee’s chair, told The Guardian that she appreciated the King’s attempt to connect with Bahamian culture, but described his words as “hollow platitudes”.

She stressed that her criticism was not intended to diminish the significance of the King’s visit or the hospitality shown by Bahamians.

“My critique is not an attempt to rain on their parade,” she said. “It is because of this pride that I feel we deserve so much more than what was offered.”

The debate also drew comment from Professor Hilary Beckles, chair of the Caribbean Community Reparations Commission, who said the Caribbean was seeking “proprietary justice, beginning with remorse”.

Beckles argued that the King’s engagement with Caribbean young people should offer meaningful empowerment and acknowledge the continuing consequences of slavery. Anything less, he said, risked minimising the legacy of harm and suffering.

While King Charles’ remarks recognised the pain of the past, reparations advocates are pressing for a more explicit acknowledgement of the Crown’s role, a formal apology and concrete steps towards addressing the consequences of slavery.

King Charles III has acknowledged the suffering caused by slavery in the Bahamas, but he left without offering the formal apology reparations advocates had demanded, a position Buckingham Palace had signalled ahead of his visit.

“Some of what is best in Bahamian culture today, the most joyful, the most hopeful, the most bright, was born out of darkness.

“It is only right that we should acknowledge the great suffering 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,” King Charles said, speaking at a youth rally at Clifford Park on Tuesday after his arrival in the country.

Now the question is what comes next.

At the site where the Bahamas celebrated its independence in 1973, Charles said it was “only right” to acknowledge “the great suffering and injustices of the past in these islands and beyond.” He also confirmed that Commonwealth leaders would discuss slavery’s legacy at their upcoming meeting in Antigua and Barbuda.

It was an acknowledgement of historical suffering but not an apology.

And for the Bahamas National Reparations Committee, that distinction is important.

The BNRC said the King’s remarks fell short of what justice requires, arguing that Bahamian culture was born not simply from “darkness”, but from the agency, resilience and determination of people who survived slavery and its aftermath. Its chair, Dr Niambi Hall Campbell-Dean, described the speech as falling short of what Bahamians deserved, according to The Guardian.

For reparations advocates, acknowledgement alone does not address demands for a formal apology, material remedies or the return of cultural artefacts. A speech can recognise suffering without committing the Crown or the British government to any of those steps.

Buckingham Palace had already indicated that a formal apology was not expected, while the British government maintained its opposition to financial reparations. Charles’s remarks should therefore be understood as a public recognition of a painful history alongside a promise that Commonwealth leaders would discuss its legacy.

The discussion in Antigua will be worth watching. But placing slavery’s legacy on a summit agenda does not, by itself, guarantee negotiations, commitments or action. The substance of those discussions and what governments do afterwards, if anything, will matter more than the announcement alone.

For the Bahamas, more than 50 years after independence, the country remains a constitutional monarchy, and the relationship between the Crown, colonial history and national identity continues to prompt questions.

It remains to be seen whether the conversation moves beyond carefully chosen words, and whether any concrete steps will follow.

Featured Images: AP/Tim Aylen

King Charles III will arrive in the Bahamas today. But beyond the ceremony that comes with a royal visit such as the official welcome, the public engagements and the children greeting him, others gathering to catch a glimpse of the monarch, one question remains: why does an independent Bahamas still have a king?

The King’s visit offers a timely opportunity to examine what the Bahamas’ relationship with the King means today.

The Bahamas gained independence from Britain in July 1973. More than five decades later, it remains a constitutional monarchy, with Charles III serving as King of the Bahamas and head of state. The elected government, led by the Prime Minister, is responsible for governing the country, while the Governor-General performs the monarch’s constitutional functions locally. The King does not personally run the Bahamian government.

The Bahamas’ Independence does not mean the country has severed every constitutional tie to Britain. Instead, the country became a sovereign state while retaining the monarchy as part of its system of government.

For some, the monarchy represents tradition and a connection to the Commonwealth. For others, it raises questions about national identity, colonialism and whether the institution still reflects the aspirations of Bahamians today.

Those questions are especially relevant during this visit.

The King’s programme includes engagements focused on young people, national security, environmental conservation and Bahamian culture. These are important areas of national life, but the visit itself cannot resolve the challenges facing them. The value lies in what attention, dialogue or lasting cooperation may follow, not simply in the spectacle of the occasion.

There is also the question of history.

The Bahamas National Reparations Committee and other advocates have called for Britain to confront its role in the transatlantic slave trade, including demands for an apology and reparations. Reporting ahead of the visit indicates that the British government does not intend to offer a formal apology or financial reparations.

The King’s presence does not, by itself, answer those demands, nor does it settle the debate over the future of the monarchy.

What should the Bahamas expect from the institution it still recognises as head of state — and what relationship does the country want with that institution in the years ahead?

The royal visit will last only a few days, but the historical questions surrounding it will remain long after King Charles departs.

For a Bahamian mother living in Florida, her children were more than the babies she brought into the world. Marshall Clarke-Milton called them her pride, joy and the centre of a family built on love, laughter and kindness.

Charles, Jakara and Dalvena were among six people killed in a fiery crash on the Florida Turnpike near mile marker 252 on Friday night. The siblings were travelling with their significant others and a friend to Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights when tragedy struck.

“Jesus, all of my children are dead.

“Why Lord would you take all my babies. All 3…I’m numb… I can’t think… I can’t … sleep,” she lamented.

In a heartbreaking tribute shared on social media, Marshall recalled the difficult pregnancies she endured to bring each child into the world, describing the medical challenges she faced to carry them to full term.

“I birthed you, raised you, molded you, and educated you, but most importantly I filled you with love, kindness, and respect for everyone,” she wrote.

She remembered teaching her children to stand up for those who could not defend themselves and to love people openly. Their home, she recalled, was often filled with other people’s children, many of whom came to call her “Ma.”

Even in her grief, she reflected on the memories that will remain with her: the siblings laughing together, sharing stories and filling a room with the warmth of family.

The last message in their group chat was their mother checking that they had arrived safely. She did not know then that her children were already gone.

“I wouldn’t change a single moment of our lives shared together with the exception of Friday night,” she wrote.

Marshall later told FOX 35 that she sensed something was wrong when she could not reach her children. After contacting officials and providing their names, she learned that two had been identified.

Her husband, Charles Milton Sr., also spoke of the family’s devastating loss, describing the struggle to get through each hour and each day.

Their granddaughter has become a source of strength as they try to face a future without three of their children.

But alongside their grief is a demand for answers.

The Florida Highway Patrol said a roadside assistance truck had been moving across the roadway to help a disabled box truck when it was struck by the Chevrolet Traverse carrying the six victims. Both vehicles left the road, and the SUV caught fire. All six occupants died.

Marshall has questioned aspects of the initial account, saying investigators should examine vehicle data and other evidence before determining responsibility. The Florida Highway Patrol confirmed the investigation remains open, while the National Transportation Safety Board announced its own investigation into the crash.

For Leanne Gregory, 36, the family holiday in the Bahamas was meant to be a celebration of love, family and ten years of marriage.

The mother of two, from Stapleford, Nottinghamshire, England, was on the trip with her husband, Nathan, ahead of their wedding anniversary in December.

Instead, the holiday ended in unimaginable loss.

According to Nathan, the couple’s sons had been excitedly snorkelling in shallow water while their parents arranged their belongings on the beach. He believes a powerful current swept the boys out to sea.

Both parents rushed into the water in an attempt to save their children. The ordeal unfolded in less than ten minutes.

The boys were rescued off the coast of Bimini on Tuesday, but Leanne could not be saved, the Royal Bahamas Police Force confirmed.

She was found unresponsive at the North Bimini Ferry Dock shortly after 10 a.m. local time. Police said CPR was administered before she was taken to a local medical clinic, where she was pronounced dead. An autopsy was to be conducted, and police said foul play was not suspected.

But beyond the tragic circumstances of her death is the life of a woman whose husband says had been at the centre of his world for more than two decades.

“I’ve known her since infant school,” Nathan told the BBC, recalling how they first became a couple at 14.

Their relationship spanned 22 years, growing from young love into a marriage and a family.

He described Leanne as “the purest of people, the most generous kind and beautiful person who ever walked the earth.”

“She was the perfect mother, the perfect wife, the foundation of our entire family,” he said.

Nathan described losing his childhood sweetheart as unimaginable, but said her actions in the water made her a hero in life and in death.

Now back home with their sons, he is facing the painful task of helping them navigate a future without their mother while trying to remain strong for them.

Support has begun pouring in for the family, with a fundraising page raising nearly £9,000 at the time of the BBC report. Nathan also praised Royal Caribbean and Virgin Atlantic for helping make their journey home easier.

In Stapleford, the grief extends beyond the family. Local councillor Richard MacRae described the community as tight-knit and said people would rally around those left behind

The Free National Movement says it has identified weaknesses in its membership, messaging and internal operations. But will the party turn those findings into measurable change?

The FNM says the work of rebuilding has begun.

Following a two-day post-election conclave on October 23–24, the party reviewed internal research and public and stakeholder feedback, examining everything from its culture and personnel to deficiencies in its voting system.

The review produced two main priorities: strengthening membership and developing a simpler political message with clearer messengers, acknowledging that the challenges facing the party may extend beyond election campaigning. But demonstrating that they have been addressed is another issue.

What did the research actually reveal?

The FNM says its review considered feedback from members, stakeholders and the wider public. It also plans to keep its internal survey open and extend it to members who were not initially reached.

That could provide a fuller picture of the party’s challenges. However, without the survey results, methodology or specific findings, the public cannot independently assess what the research revealed or how broadly its conclusions reflect voters’ concerns.

A messaging problem or a trust problem?

The party wants a simpler, more effective message focused on practical solutions to issues affecting Bahamians.

But what went wrong in the first place? Was the message too complicated? Were the wrong people delivering it? Or did the party struggle to convince voters that its proposals addressed their concerns?

The statement does not identify which messages or policies fell short.

Rebuilding beyond election season

The FNM has also identified member retention, recruitment and re-engagement as priorities, inviting former members, supporters, young Bahamians and former candidates to help rebuild the organization.

The test will be whether that invitation translates into sustained participation. Public targets for membership growth and retention would help members and the wider public measure progress.

The party has also acknowledged deficiencies in its voting system, but has not specified which process is involved or what problems were identified.

The convention test

The Central Council is expected to take steps towards proposing a formal convention date and operationalizing the party secretariat.

Those decisions could offer an early indication of whether the post-mortem leads to concrete reforms, clear responsibilities and a timetable members can scrutinise.

For now, the FNM has outlined priorities, but important questions remain about the research behind its conclusions and how success will be measured.

It remains to be seen how the FNM will show its members and the country that the work is being done.

Prime Minister Philip Davis has declared frankly that Grand Bahama’s existing governance system must end. But as his government prepares to reshape Freeport’s decades-old arrangement, US Ambassador to the Bahamas Herschel Walker is warning that the transition must give investors greater certainty.

The emerging debate highlights a central challenge for the Davis administration: how to assert greater government control over Grand Bahama while protecting existing business commitments and maintaining investor confidence.

In a national address in Freeport on Wednesday night, Davis said the decision to change the governance structure was “non-negotiable,” although the details of how the transition will happen remain open to consultation.

The government wants to replace the current arrangement, established under the 1955 Hawksbill Creek Agreement, with a framework it says will strengthen democratic accountability, modernise regulation and extend development opportunities across the island.

Davis argued that the existing system gives the Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA) powers that should belong to an elected government.

“What does Independence mean, if it stops at the boundaries of the Port Area?” he asked, arguing that Grand Bahama should be governed under Bahamian law and in the interests of its people.

Washington’s concern: What happens to investors?

In an opinion piece published by The Tribune, Walker acknowledged that Grand Bahama needs better results and said American businesses have complained about overlapping approvals, unclear fees and slow decisions.

He added that the United States welcomes the goal of creating “one transparent process with one clear point of accountability.”

But Walker warned that the way reform is implemented matters as much as its objective.

Investors, he argued, need answers about whether existing licences, contracts and tax and duty arrangements will be honoured, who will determine fees, when changes will take effect and whether businesses and workers will have meaningful input.

“‘Changes are coming, details to follow’ is the most expensive message a government can send to anyone deciding where to put their capital,” Walker wrote.

He stressed that Washington was not asking the Bahamas to surrender its sovereign right to govern Grand Bahama or grant American companies special treatment. Instead, he called for existing commitments to be honoured, the legal framework and timeline to be published, and stakeholders to be consulted before decisions are finalised.

Can reform and certainty coexist?

Walker’s intervention puts the spotlight on whether the government can deliver its proposed reforms without creating uncertainty for businesses already operating under the existing system.

Davis has said lawful rights and obligations must be addressed, that the transition will be pursued through legal processes and that changes will not be applied retrospectively. His government has opened a six-month consultation period, running from November 1, 2026, to April 30, 2027.

The stakes extend beyond the government and the GBPA. Grand Bahama needs investment, jobs and sustainable growth, while residents need a governance system that is accountable to them.

It remains to be seen whether Davis can reshape the island’s governance on the government’s terms while giving investors the clarity Walker says they need.

As King Charles III prepares to visit the Bahamas, calls for an apology for slavery and renewed discussions about reparations are gaining momentum across the Commonwealth. It is not known if Prime Minister Philip Davis too, will raise the issue directly with the monarch.

Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey has added her voice to those calling for an apology, saying it “wouldn’t hurt” and that “the time has come” for countries to discuss reparations.

In an interview with British media Sky News ahead of the King’s Caribbean tour, Botchwey said many Commonwealth countries had called for an apology. She argued that the form reparations should take—including financial support, concessional financing, climate-related assistance or the return of cultural artefacts, should be determined through discussions among countries.

This week, Guyana’s President, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, has also urged Britain and Caribbean nations to move beyond acknowledgement towards meaningful action. He said an apology could help create an environment for open discussions, but should not be treated as the end of the process.

Ali has called for reparations discussions to address development gaps and inequalities linked to slavery, including through debt relief, development financing and investment in areas such as education and healthcare.

Where does Davis stand?

Davis has not publicly outlined whether he intends to raise slavery or reparations directly with King Charles during the Bahamas visit.

However, the Prime Minister previously called for a frank conversation about reparatory justice. Speaking to POLITICO during the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, Davis said the transatlantic slave trade had inflicted a “horrendous impact” on the African diaspora and argued that the issue was about more than an apology or money.

He said it was also about recognising and understanding the lasting cultural, mental and physical harm experienced by the descendants of enslaved people.

At the time, then-British Prime Minister Keir Starmer acknowledged that slavery was “abhorrent” but said he preferred to focus on present-day challenges and future cooperation.

What could the King say?

Buckingham Palace has indicated that the royal family will not shy away from discussing Britain’s colonial past. However, the UK government has ruled out paying reparations, while a formal apology from the King is not expected during the tour. As a constitutional monarch, Charles acts on ministerial advice in matters of government policy.

The Bahamas National Reparations Committee has called on the Royal Family not to come “empty-handed,” renewing demands for an apology and reparatory justice.

Davis has welcomed the royal visit as an opportunity to showcase Bahamian culture and hospitality. Whether reparations will be part of his discussions with the King remains unclear.