King Charles begins Caribbean tour amid slavery reparations demands

King Charles III began a nine-day Caribbean tour in the Bahamas on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, accompanied initially without Queen Camilla. The visit comes as several former colonies demand an apology and reparations from Britain for the transatlantic slave trade and centuries of colonial rule.

The Bahamas National Reparations Committee said islanders want to be heard during the royal visit. Committee chair Niambi Hall Campbell-Dean questioned why the Caribbean still has a king and what the monarch represents to the region.

“Why do we still have a king? What does this person really represent to us? Why is he coming and how will that benefit us?”

Charles is scheduled to visit Clifford Park in the Bahamas, where the national flag was raised more than half a century ago. He will then travel to Guyana before being joined by Queen Camilla for the final leg in Antigua and Barbuda.

In Antigua and Barbuda, Charles will address a Commonwealth heads of government summit. The king will also highlight climate threats facing low-lying islands during the three-country trip.

Jamaica filed a petition last month in a London appeals court to advance its push for reparations for African ancestors who suffered under hundreds of years of enslavement. The British government has consistently rejected demands for an apology or reparations.

Charles, who is 77 and receiving treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer, previously called slavery the darkest days of British history. He is expected to acknowledge the great suffering of the past while addressing colonial issues at each stage of the trip.

The tour recalls a turbulent 2022 visit to Jamaica by Prince William and Princess Catherine, who faced anti-monarchy protests and calls for reparations.