King Charles is set to begin a nine-day tour of the Caribbean on Tuesday, visiting the Bahamas, Guyana and Antigua and Barbuda for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. The trip, meticulously planned for months, puts the monarch directly at the centre of debates over slavery reparations and potential apologies for Britain's historical role.

Itinerary and the slavery question

Charles and Queen Camilla will visit the Bahamas from 27 to 29 October and Guyana on 29 and 30 October, before heading to Antigua and Barbuda for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, held from 1 to 4 November. Buckingham Palace has said the King will not shy away from "the darkest days of our past" over Britain's involvement in the transatlantic slave trade, but will not formally apologise. A palace spokesperson said the programme would be "principally oriented to the vibrant present and promising future of each country", in keeping with the wishes of host nations.

Reparations remain a government matter

The British government has ruled out paying reparations, and the palace has said apologies and reparations are matters for the government, not the monarch acting alone. Charles remains head of state of a number of Caribbean nations, including both the Bahamas and Antigua and Barbuda, and has previously expressed his sorrow about slavery and backed research into the monarchy's own historical links to the trade. From the 15th to the 19th century, at least 12.5 million Africans were abducted and sold into slavery by European merchants, with Britain responsible for transporting an estimated 3.2 million people.