reparations

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

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.

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.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge board the RAF Voyager Plane for Jamaica this afternoon, where demonstrators are demanding reparations for the slavery sins of the royal family.

Prince William and wife Kate left Belize, bound for Jamaica the second stop of their Caribbean Tour.

Protesters held signs like, “Seh yuh sorry,” and “60 reasons to go back home” in front of the British High Commission in Kingston where organisers say the monarchy should apologize for “the exploitation of Jamaica, the transatlantic trafficking of Africans, the enslavement of Africans, indentureship and colonialization.”

The tour which began on Saturday, has spurred reaction from Caribbean people who believe the enslavement and colonialism of its people deserves acknowledgement by the Queen and her family who benefitted from its ‘blood, sweat and tears.’

Famous Jamaican musician Beenie Man told Good Morning Britain that his countrymen want nothing to do with the Queen because the British monarch has done nothing for the country.

“Jamaicans nuh want the queen, me can tell you that. Them nuh like be controlled by nobody. If Harry did deh yah, people would a react different, people would a go meet Harry. But William, nobody nuh want see that.”

He added: “We are just here, controlled by the British, ruled by the British law when you go in the court. It’s all about the Queen and the Queen this and the Queen that, but what are they doing for Jamaica? They are not doing anything for us.”

This comes after a small but similar protest in Belize happened where villagers asked William to leave the land which in dispute with an organization in which he is a patron.

The couple’s next stop is the Bahamas on Thursday.