King Charles Acknowledges 'Great Suffering of the Past' as Caribbean Tour Opens in the Bahamas

King Charles III opened his tour of the Caribbean by acknowledging the "great suffering of the past", as he faced renewed calls for slavery reparations. Speaking at an event in the Bahamas celebrating young people, he said the country's culture was "born out of darkness" and that it was "only right" to recognise historic injustices.

The nine-day trip, his first to the region as monarch, will end with the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). The King has confirmed that leaders will discuss the region's legacy of slavery there. The visit follows fresh demands from Caribbean nations for Britain to apologise for its part in selling enslaved people for profit.

Before departure, Buckingham Palace said the King would not avoid the subject of colonial legacy and the impact of the slave trade. However, in line with the UK government's position, he will neither apologise for Britain's role nor offer reparations.

On arrival on Tuesday, the King met Governor General Dame Cynthia A. Pratt and Prime Minister Philip Edward Davis. He then inspected a guard of honour and spoke with members of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force. His first engagement was a youth rally at Clifford Park, where he had attended the Bahamas' independence celebrations as Prince of Wales in 1973. He arrived to cheers, wearing sunglasses and a grey suit.

Students had been given time off school to attend. One told the BBC it was "my first time seeing him in person out of TikTok so he's out there, it's cool."

A group of about a dozen protesters, kept outside the main venue, shouted "pay us what you owe us" and "return artefacts you've stolen." They urged the King to help change the British government's stance. Protester Sharon Purcer-Cooper said: "He's a man of influence. The Crown still has influence. And if they do not do it then we will become a republic and we will turn our backs on England if you do not show respect to the former colonies."

In his Nassau speech, the King spoke of his 50-year commitment to tackling climate change and the challenges facing low-lying Caribbean islands, saying "our world cries out for healing." He urged young people to "take up the sacred task to play your part", describing the response to the call to care for the planet as the measure of every person in years to come.

On Wednesday he will hear how vulnerable the Caribbean's low-lying islands are to climate change and learn about Junkanoo, the Bahamian festival and street parade. Memorials and other places of reflection and remembrance are built into the schedule across the three countries on the tour.

A palace spokesperson told the BBC the programme will mainly highlight modern partnerships and future opportunities that are "having a transformative effect on the region". The tour, the spokesperson said, is "both a new journey but also the continuance of a lifelong one" in which the King has sought to engage with and educate about "the most shameful aspects of our past".

The King will travel to Guyana later this week for engagements on the environment and biodiversity. He will then go to Antigua and Barbuda, joined by Queen Camilla, for CHOGM and a keynote speech as leader of the Commonwealth. The biennial summit will gather leaders from 56 member countries.