King Charles III on Friday acknowledged past colonial injustices at a Commonwealth summit in Samoa, however noted that ‘past cannot be changed’ amid calls for accountability over Britain’s role in the trans-Atlantic slave trade.
The British monarch told leaders in Apia that he understood “the most painful aspects of our past continue to resonate." And he went on to add that nothing would right inequality “more decisively than to champion the principle that our Commonwealth is one of genuine opportunity for all.”
“None of us can change the past but we can commit with all our hearts to learning its lessons and to finding creative ways to right the inequalities that endure," said Charles, who is attending his first Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, or CHOGM, as Britain's head of state.
However, Charles refrained from discussing financial reparations, which some leaders at the summit advocated. Instead, he urged finding "the right language" and a deeper understanding of history to “to guide us towards making the right choices in future where inequality exists."
His remarks at the summit's opening ceremony were an acknowledgement of the strength of feeling on the issue in countries that Britain once colonized.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who had earlier stated that meeting should avoid getting stuck in debates about the past or endless talks about reparations took a more diplomatic approach this time.
Starmer said at the summit that it was important to acknowledge a “hard” shared history, and that he understood the “strength of feeling here and that there are some calls to face up to the harms and injustices of the past through reparatory justice.”
Flanked by leaders from Uganda and Tanzania, Starmer said he wanted to work “together to make sure the future is not in the shadow of the past," and promised to host a U.K.-Caribbean forum next year with leaders of the nations most impacted by slavery’s legacy.
The U.K. has never officially apologized for its role in the transatlantic slave trade, which took millions of Africans to Caribbean and American plantations, generating immense wealth; studies estimate Britain’s owed reparations could range from hundreds of millions to trillions of dollars.
(With inputs from agencies)
