King Charles Caribbean Tour: Slavery Reparations P
Last updated 2026-10-28 00:00 UTC. Built from BBC News (23:16 UTC), France24 (23:14 UTC), Al Jazeera, CNN/AP, ABC News, UPI, ITV, Jamaica Observer, Commonwealth secretariat.
What we know
King Charles III arrived in Nassau, The Bahamas, on 27 October 2026, beginning a nine-day Caribbean tour. It is his first official visit to the Bahamas as king. The Bahamian government closed all public schools on the island of New Providence to welcome him. At Clifford Park in Nassau, the same site where he granted the Bahamas independence in 1973 as Prince of Wales, Charles said: "It is only right that we should acknowledge the great suffering and injustices of the past in these islands and beyond." Buckingham Palace confirmed he will not formally apologise for Britain's role in the slave trade, following UK government policy. He will attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Antigua and Barbuda from 1 to 4 November 2026, where slavery reparations are expected to be a central topic.
9Days of the Caribbean tour (Bahamas, Guyana, Antigua and Barbuda)
56Commonwealth nations represented at CHOGM in Antigua and Barbuda
King Charles arrives Bahamas
27 October 2026
CHOGM dates
1-4 November 2026, St John's, Antigua and Barbuda
Commonwealth nations at CHOGM
56
CARICOM investment projects submitted for CHOGM
$34 billion
Africans enslaved in British territories 1660-1807
More than 3 million
Estimated deaths crossing the Atlantic
Up to 400,000
Bahamas 2023 poll: favour becoming a republic
51%
Bahamas 2023 poll: favour retaining British monarchy
27%
Jamaica's reparations petition referred to Privy Council
September 2026
What is not known yet
It is not known what specific language Charles will use when he addresses CHOGM on 3 November. The UK government has not announced any change to its position against financial reparations. The research commissioned by Buckingham Palace into the monarchy's links to slavery, expected to conclude in September 2026, has not been made publicly available. It is not confirmed whether reparations will appear on the official CHOGM agenda or only in side discussions.
"It is only right that we should acknowledge the great suffering and injustices of the past in these islands and beyond, even as we rejoice in the successes of the present.
"King Charles III
"You exploited the region. You destroyed lives. You created underdevelopment.
"Guyana President Mohamed Irfaan Ali
Reparations debate: what each side says
Caribbean nations, through CARICOM, are calling for a full formal apology, debt cancellation, repatriation support, and investment in public health and education. Jamaica's petition to the Privy Council asks the court to rule on whether the enslavement of Africans was ever lawful under English law, and whether Britain has a legal obligation to provide a remedy. The UK government's position, restated by Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds on 27 October, is that reparations are not "a reasonable request" and that past events should not be attributed to current generations. Buckingham Palace says Charles will not shy away from the "most shameful aspects of our past" but can only act on the advice of his ministers under the UK constitutional settlement.
What to watch next
- 2026-10-28 to 30: Charles continues Bahamas visit; meets Royal Bahamas Defence Force and civil society leaders.
- 2026-10-29 to 30: State visit to Guyana; President Ali expected to press reparations.
- 2026-10-30: Queen Camilla joins the tour in Antigua and Barbuda.
- 2026-11-01 to 04: CHOGM, St John's; all 56 member nations attend; reparations likely to feature in leaders' sessions and People's Forum.
- 2026-11-03: Charles addresses CHOGM opening ceremony.
- Ongoing: Privy Council review of Jamaica's reparations petition; ruling timeline unknown.
- Ongoing: Whether Buckingham Palace publishes its research into the monarchy's slavery links.
How we know this. Charles's arrival and Clifford Park speech: ABC News/AP (27 October, updated 23:25 UTC), BBC News (23:16 UTC), France24 (23:14 UTC), ITV. Tour itinerary and CHOGM dates: Commonwealth Secretariat official website (thecommonwealth.org), CHOGM 2026 official site (chogm26.gov.ag). Jamaica petition and Privy Council referral: Al Jazeera (September 2026), Washington Post (23 September 2026). Reparations statistics: CARICOM Reparations Commission, PBS NewsHour background. UK governmen
