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As the Bahamas prepares to welcome King Charles III later this month, Buckingham Palace has made one thing clear: the King will not issue a formal apology for Britain’s role in the transatlantic slave trade, and no reparations will be offered during his Caribbean tour.

The announcement comes weeks after the Bahamas National Reparations Committee (BNRC) called on the British Royal Family not to arrive in the Bahamas “empty-handed,” demanding an apology for slavery and colonisation and renewed action on reparations.

King Charles is scheduled to visit The Bahamas from October 27–29, before travelling to Guyana and then joining Queen Camilla in Antigua and Barbuda for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

The Palace says the King will not shy away from Britain’s history.

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said there are important discussions taking place about the colonial legacy and the intergenerational impact of the transatlantic trade in enslaved people. The Palace also pointed to the King’s previous description of slavery as an “atrocity” that “forever stains our history.”

But there will be a limit to what Charles says or offers.

The Palace says apologies and reparations are matters for governments, while the British Government has maintained that financial reparations are not the answer. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband recently reiterated that position.

That puts the King’s visit in an uncomfortable space.

The BNRC is asking for an apology and reparations and Britain is saying neither is coming.

And yet the King is not simply a foreign dignitary arriving in Nassau. He is King of The Bahamas and the country’s Head of State.

The Palace says the visit will focus primarily on the “vibrant present and promising future” of the countries Charles visits. But slavery, colonialism and reparations are already part of the conversation surrounding his arrival.

King Charles III is coming to the Bahamas, and before the red carpets are rolled out, there is a question that deserves an answer: How much will it cost us?

The last major royal visit provides a useful benchmark.

When Prince William and Catherine visited The Bahamas in March 2022, the government later reported preliminary spending of $636,194 on the visit. More than $566,000 went to New Providence businesses and vendors, while additional spending was recorded in Abaco and Grand Bahama. The government also highlighted the international media exposure generated by the visit.

CSJ Report also reported at the time that the government had purchased 40 new vehicles and rented five floors at Atlantis for the royal party and entourage.

Four years later, the circumstances are different. This time, a reigning King is coming.

Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell has indicated that the visit is expected to involve heightened security and strict protocol. But when asked about the cost, his response was striking.

“There’s no bill for our king.” He added: “Nothing too good for the king.”

But what does “no bill” actually mean?

There will inevitably be costs associated with security, transportation, protocol, government personnel, official events and preparations. Some expenses may also be absorbed by private companies or other public agencies.

The government does not necessarily have to prove that a royal visit is a bad investment.

It can argue that international exposure, diplomacy, tourism promotion and the prestige of hosting a head of state have value. In 2022, the government itself pointed to the more than 40 international media organisations that covered the visit and promoted the Bahamas internationally.

But if there is value, can we measure it?

How much will this visit cost? Who will pay? What will taxpayers provide? What will private businesses or donors contribute? And what tangible benefits will the Bahamas receive in return?

Taxpayers should know what it costs to host him.

In 2022, the public eventually got a number.

This time, perhaps the number should come before the King arrives, not months afterward.

When King Charles III arrives in the Bahamas this October, he will see a country preparing to welcome a monarch. But will he see the same Bahamas that Bahamians experience every day?

For some residents, the royal visit has already sparked a familiar joke: Perhaps the roads will finally get fixed and the lights will stay on—at least while the King is here.

The comments may be humorous, but they reveal something serious about how some Bahamians view their government’s priorities.

Shamere Castro wrote on Facebook: “Yayyyyyy. The roads will finally get paved and downtown might get a quick facelift.”

Carmon Newton asked: “Think the power might stay on for him & a few Roads get fixed?”

And Doyla Fox joked: “All roads his motorcade travels will be freshly paved.”

Because royal visits require extraordinary preparation. Security arrangements, motorcade routes, official venues and public appearances mean roads and public spaces along those routes receive heightened attention.

The Bahamas saw this kind of intense preparation during the March 2022 visit of Prince William and Catherine, when the couple travelled through New Providence, Abaco and Grand Bahama.

Now Charles is returning, this time as King.

And with him comes an interesting public expectation: that the country’s best face will be put forward for the monarch.

Why shouldn’t the best version of the Bahamas be good enough for Bahamians too?

A freshly paved road is still a freshly paved road after the motorcade leaves. A functioning electricity system benefits residents long after the royal delegation departs. A cleaner, better-maintained downtown benefits workers, businesses and visitors every day, not just a visiting head of state.

Of course, the King does not control BPL, road paving or Bahamian infrastructure. And there is no evidence that his visit itself will determine which roads are repaired or when.

But the jokes are revealing something worth paying attention to. They reflect a public perception that when important people come to town, things can suddenly happen faster.

Charles III was crowned king on Saturday, in an eighth-century ceremony that included concessions to the modern age, not on display since 1953 when his mother Queen Elizabeth II, was crowned.

“I come not to be served, but to serve,” Charles said in his first remarks of the ceremony, before the 74-year-old, was anointed with holy oil, symbolizing the sacred nature of his rule. He was vested with an imperial mantle, and the archbishop of Canterbury placed the ancient crown of St. Edward onto his head.