In his address to presidents and prime ministers Charles praised the “leading role” of the Royal Navy in helping to enforce the end of the slave trade.
asserted
Charles → praise → trade
And he said his commitment was growing to find ways to “address the wrongs of the past with action for the future”.
asserted
commitment → say → future
The King delivered his speech against the background of Prime Minister Andy Burnham announcing a change in long-established Government policy and making an offer of talks on a slavery apology but not financial reparations.
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Burnham → deliver → apology
He told the leaders of the Commonwealth’s 56 member states meeting in Antigua: “Our history inspires us, can appal us, yet it can always teach us.
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it → tell → us
We cannot change the actions of those who came before us.
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who → change → us
We can, however, learn from the past.
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We → learn → past
“The transatlantic trade in enslaved persons still casts a shadow over these islands and other members of our Commonwealth.
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trade → enslave → Commonwealth
As I have said before, that shameful chapter of history is one that fills my heart with horror and my soul with the most profound personal sorrow.
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that → say → sorrow
“And yet history also teaches us that evil need not have the last word; that character and courage can combine to overcome the most monstrous injustice, as they did with the determination to end international trade in enslaved people, in which the Royal Navy played such a leading role.”
asserted
Navy → teach → role
Britain’s warships patrolled the seas and seized hundreds of slave ships after the trade was abolished, but for more than a century before the Royal Navy escorted those same vessels carrying human cargo and guarded the profitable sugar-producing colonies in the Caribbean.
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Navy → patrol → Caribbean
The King, speaking in his role as head of the Commonwealth, said: “The more I have furthered my own understanding of the issues, through listening, learning and looking, the more committed I have become to finding ways for us to work in modern partnership to address the wrongs of the past with action for the future.”
asserted
us → speak → future
Calls for an apology and reparations from the UK have been growing in recent years and St Lucia’s Prime Minister Philip J Pierre, chairman of the 15-member Caribbean Community, has reportedly said the economic and political bloc was “ready to engage” in the structured dialogue Mr Burnham offered.
The area around the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting opening ceremony was locked down for security with roads closed.
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At the perimeter was a small protest with activists holding placards which read “You say you regret so apologise” and “Apologise for the greatest crime against humanity and let’s have reparatory justice.”
Charles told the gathering of world leaders: “None of us, of course, would be here today were it not for our history, which has shaped us in myriad ways.
“History is not ours to choose or to change.
uncertain
History → grow → ways
It is bequeathed to us in complex synthesis by forebears we can never know.
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we → bequeath → forebears
“Our inheritance includes both their achievements and their failures – the good they did as well as the wrongs.”
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they → include → achievements
Britain’s royal family has a long association with the transportation and selling of enslaved people for profit.
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family → have → profit
As the slavery abolitionists campaigned against the trade they were opposed by the Duke of Clarence, George III’s son, later to become William IV.
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they → campaign → Clarence
In his speech which lasted around 15 minutes Charles gave examples of how the Commonwealth can “address the wrongs of the past”.
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Commonwealth → last → past
He said: “Through improving access to education, investing in jobs and opportunities, encouraging intra-Commonwealth trade, and inspiring vital climate resilience measures across the world, I have always felt that there is so much that can be done to help lift up those who struggle against hardship and disadvantage.
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who → say → hardship
“I have always tried to play my part in doing just that.”
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I → try → that
Mr Burnham has approved £40 million in aid funding for the Caribbean amid calls for Britain to pay reparations.
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Britain → approve → reparations
The British Prime Minister’s decision to offer slavery apology talks has been criticised by Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, who has accused Mr Burnham of putting the King under “pressure”, something he has denied.
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he → offer → pressure
Speaking at Antigua and Barbuda’s national performing arts centre in the capital St John’s, Charles said the Commonwealth did not have all the solutions to the crises engulfing the world, adding: “All around us, trust between nations is under critical strain, as international norms and systems are tested to their limits.
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norms → speak → limits
“Brutal conflict stalks our world, destroying lives and casting long shadows across the globe.
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conflict → stalk → globe
Technology is transforming our societies and our economies at dizzying speed, with little certainty about where it might lead us.”
uncertain
it → transform → us
But the family of nations offered an “unparalleled opportunity to work together” and drew on the “collective ingenuity of a third of humanity” to address the challenges.
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family → offer → challenges
Mr Burnham was among the heads of government sitting on stage as the King spoke along with their host the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda Gaston Browne.
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King → sit → Antigua
The British Prime Minister later told the King his speech was “perfect”, adding “well done” when Charles hosted a reception at a hotel for world leaders who had taken up office since the last Chogm.
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who → tell → Chogm
Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney, the former Bank of England governor, echoed his words, telling the King it was “very good”.
The ceremony also featured speeches from Mr Browne and Commonwealth secretary-general Shirley Botchwey and a musical dance performance dramatising aspects of Antigua’s history.
asserted
ceremony → echo → history
The Aporia
