Guyana demands royal apology and reparations ahead of King’s visit
Guyana will press King Charles for a formal apology and reparations over Britain’s role in the transatlantic slave trade when he visits the country later this month, with President Mohamed Irfaan Ali telling ITV News that saying sorry is the crucial next step in righting the wrongs of the past.
In an exclusive interview ahead of the royal visit, the President said “an apology would go a long way in creating an environment of free-flowing discussion.” He described slavery as the “darkest days of human history” and said Britain should feel guilt over its actions — arguing that a country which benefited immensely from slavery cannot now claim it cannot afford financial reparations.
The King arrives in Guyana as the second stop on a Caribbean tour running October 27 to November 4, taking in the Bahamas, Guyana, and Antigua and Barbuda, where Queen Camilla will join him for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. Guyana is the only former British colony on the South American mainland, making the visit a diplomatically delicate one for the Palace.
Buckingham Palace has made clear, however, that there will be no formal apology during the tour. A senior aide said the King would “not shy away from the darkest days of our past” and may express sorrow — but will not say “sorry,” over fears an apology could be interpreted as an admission that international obligations were breached. Questions of apologies and reparations, the Palace says, are “matters for governments to address.”
ITV reported that everyone they spoke to in Guyana — from the President to former plantation workers — shared the view that Britain owes the country a formal apology for historic injustices.
The demands fit into the wider Caribbean campaign for reparatory justice led through CARICOM, which is seeking a formal apology alongside action on education, public health, cultural institutions and debt — an agenda expected to feature at the Commonwealth summit in Antigua and Barbuda.
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