The King will reference the ongoing – and increasingly contentious – debate over the legacy of slavery and Britain’s role in it in a keynote Commonwealth speech tomorrow.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa, Charles – who has inherited the role as head of the organisation from his late mother – will speak of the ‘importance of recognising and understanding the path of history, and where that may have given rise to contemporary challenges.’
He will also articulate his hope that the Commonwealth family will ‘find ways to work together to improve equal opportunity for all, particularly for young people’ in the face of increasing pressure for the UK to pay reparations.
Buckingham Palace has long made clear it is not the monarch’s constitutional role to intervene on the issue of a formal apology, or the payment of compensation, to affected nations, particularly in the Caribbean.
The King will reference the ongoing – and increasingly contentious – debate over the legacy of slavery and Britain’s role in it in a keynote Commonwealth speech tomorrow
King Charles III and Queen Camilla pose with a local traditional cricket team members during his Samoa Cultural Village visit todayÂ
King Charles III and Queen Camilla attend an official Royal ‘Ava ceremonial’ welcome at the National University of Samoa todayÂ
King Charles visits O Le Pupu-Pue National Park, the nation’s oldest park
It is Charles’ hope that new initiatives such as the King’s Fellowships – which will work to tackle inequality in small island developing states by providing university fellowships for mid-career professionals – will play a role to right some of the wrongs of the past
However it is Charles’ hope that new initiatives such as the King’s Fellowships – which will work to tackle inequality in small island developing states by providing university fellowships for mid-career professionals – will play a role to right some of the wrongs of the past.
He will also reference this in his speech to delegates at the Opening Ceremony of the biannual gathering of the ‘family of nations’, whose 56 members are largely former British Empire nations.
The King will add that ‘all nations are equal in this unique and voluntary association’ which ‘is committed to developing free and democratic societies’.
He will also say that thanks to its scale and diversity, representing a third of humanity on the globe, the Commonwealth can ‘discuss the most challenging issues with openness and respect’, and that is ‘never more important than at times of tensions and conflict around the world’.
‘Together we are wiser, stronger and more able to respond to the demands of our time,’ the King will say.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who has also flown to Samoa to attend the gathering, has said this week that he wants to discuss current challenges with Commonwealth leaders particularly climate change, and not the past.
The King will add that ‘all nations are equal in this unique and voluntary association’ which ‘is committed to developing free and democratic societies’
King Charles III meets with Head of State of the Independent State of Samoa, Afioga Tuimalealiifano Vaaletoa Sualauvi II at his official residence in Mulinuu
Community members look on during an official Royal ‘Ava ceremonial’ welcome at the National University of Samoa
Heads of government have already made clear they are preparing to defy the UK and agree plans to examine reparatory justice for the transatlantic slave trade, which could leave the UK owing billions of pounds
Heads of government have already made clear they are preparing to defy the UK and agree plans to examine reparatory justice for the transatlantic slave trade, which could leave the UK owing billions of pounds.
However Downing Street continues to insist that the issue is not on the agenda as far as Great Britain is concerned.
In his speech the King will also pay tribute to his mother, Queen Elizabeth, and the role the Commonwealth played in her life.
And he will return to a subject that remains close to his heart after a lifetime of campaigning, speaking of the ‘existential threat’ of climate change and how it impact on many Commonwealth nations.
As Prince of Wales he set up the Sustainable Markets Initiative to promote how public-private partnerships can help address the impacts today.
The King will conclude: ‘Let us forge a future of harmony with Nature and between ourselves.’
