Speaking in St. John’s, the king noted that the Royal Navy played “a leading role” in ending the trade and said efforts should focus on addressing its legacy through education, job creation, trade and climate resilience. “We cannot change the actions of those who came before us,” he said. “We can, however, learn from the past.”

The speech came amid growing calls for reparations and accountability for the UK’s historical role in slavery. Outside the venue, a small group of protesters held signs reading “Acknowledge the wrong. Commit to repair” and “You say you regret so apologize. Reparatory justice now!” Shana Michelle of Antigua said an apology is a necessary first step toward repair. “Technically, we’re free, but mentally a lot of us aren’t,” she said.

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he is open to making a formal apology for the UK’s role in the slave trade but has ruled out financial reparations. In a recent The Guardian op-ed, Burnham wrote he wants to “express my sorrow and regret for the pain and suffering of so many millions of people” and proposed a program of debt restructuring for poorer Commonwealth nations.

The British royal family has a documented historical connection to the slave trade. Elizabeth I supported John Hawkins, one of Britain’s first slave traders, and Charles II encouraged the expansion of the enterprise. The Duke of Clarence, later William IV, opposed abolitionists.

Commonwealth leaders announced the Commonwealth Nature Initiative, which has secured over $200 million in pledges to protect 30% of the world’s land and oceans by 2030. Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne said, “No nation should be forced to mortgage its future simply to survive its present.”

Guyanese President Mohamed Irfaan Ali said an apology should be the king’s next step, emphasizing the need for the UK to acknowledge its historical role in the slave trade. The debate over reparations and accountability remains divided among Commonwealth nations.