King Charles addresses slavery at Commonwealth summit in Antigua

King Charles III gave a speech about slavery on Tuesday at a Commonwealth leaders' meeting in Antigua and Barbuda. He spoke honestly and with sorrow about the past, but he did not make a formal apology. A palace spokesperson said the King would not shy away from the most shameful parts of history. The King spoke as head of all 56 Commonwealth nations, not only as Britain's monarch. The meeting happened while Britain's Prime Minister said Commonwealth countries could talk about a formal British apology for slavery. Decisions about apologies and payments to affected nations belong to individual governments, not the Commonwealth as a whole. The Netherlands' king apologised for his country's role in the slave trade in 2023.