In short
- King Charles III visited the Bahamas, Guyana and Antigua and Barbuda over nine days, with about 40 engagements on the tour.
- A senior Buckingham Palace aide said the King is used in “politically charged situations” and prefers “the tough parts of the job”.
- The King, who is still undergoing treatment for cancer, turns 78 next week, and the Queen turns 80 next July.
- Prime Minister Andy Burnham said midway through the Caribbean tour that he was open to the UK apologising for its role in the slave trade.
- The King has had four prime ministers since his reign began in 2022.
A senior Buckingham Palace aide said King Charles III relishes the “tough parts” of the job and will keep being sent into “politically charged situations”, speaking at the end of a nine-day tour of the Bahamas, Guyana and Antigua and Barbuda that was dominated by questions about slavery reparations.
What did the palace aide say about the Caribbean tour?
The aide, who has worked closely with the King for years, said the monarch had been used as “a great secret weapon” during the trip. “I would say, in the round, this has been a complex visit. It’s been challenging. It’s been exhausting,” the aide said, adding that the takeaway was that it had been “very successful”.
“I think what we’re seeing is a very clear pattern emerging of the government asking the King to head into quite politically charged situations, quite challenging situations,” the aide said. He added: “We have to tread quite a careful line sometimes between government policy and the King’s role.”
Why were slavery reparations central to the visit?
Questions over whether the UK should apologise and pay reparations for its role in the transatlantic slave trade ran through the nine-day visit, and the leadership of all three countries on the itinerary wanted reparatory justice. The aide spoke after King Charles’s address on slavery at the Commonwealth summit in Antigua, where he described the slave trade as a shameful chapter that filled his heart with sorrow.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said midway through the Caribbean tour that he was open to the UK apologising for its role in the slave trade, which the aide said intensified the conversations. The aide dismissed suggestions that Buckingham Palace was surprised or blindsided by the shift in the government position, saying the palace had been told in a “timely manner”.
Will the King apologise for slavery?
Asked directly whether the King would apologise, the aide set out the chain of command in a constitutional monarchy: “The King is the crown, the crown is the state, the state is run by an elected government, so we have to see how this whole situation plays through.”
How demanding was the tour?
The trip involved about 40 engagements, many of them carried out in temperatures of around 35C with stifling humidity. The King, who is still undergoing treatment for cancer, turns 78 next week, and the Queen turns 80 next July. “The King is not just King for the easy parts of the job, but the tough parts of the job, too,” the aide said.
Where else has the King been deployed?
The aide said most of the King’s visits outside the UK have drawn on delicate diplomatic skills exercised on behalf of the government. In the United States he used a speech to Congress to remind President Donald Trump of the UK’s value as an ally, and a year earlier he made a flying visit to Canada to welcome new Prime Minister Mark Carney as Carney faced threats and insults from Trump. Visits to Germany and France early in his reign were designed to establish new UK alliances after Brexit.
Since the start of his reign in 2022, the King has had four prime ministers. The aide said the King and Burnham “get on very well” and that their weekly audiences had helped build the relationship.
Frequently asked questions
What did King Charles do on his Caribbean tour?
King Charles III spent nine days visiting the Bahamas, Guyana and Antigua and Barbuda, carrying out about 40 engagements, many in temperatures of around 35C. He gave his main speech at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Antigua and Barbuda.
Will King Charles apologise for the slave trade?
A senior palace aide declined to say, citing the constitutional chain of command in which the elected government runs the state. The aide said the palace would have to see how the situation “plays through”.
How old is King Charles and is he still having cancer treatment?
According to the palace aide, the King is still undergoing treatment for cancer and will turn 78 next week. The Queen turns 80 next July.
What did the UK prime minister say about reparations?
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said midway through the Caribbean tour that he was open to the UK apologising for its role in the slave trade, a shift the palace said it had been told about in a “timely manner”.
With reporting from BBC News.
Stock image, not from the events described. City Skyline — Joe deSousa / Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0)
