Royal Reparations: How King Charles is handling the historical ties between the monarchy and slavery

The monarch, who has paused his cancer treatment for his first tour to a realm as sovereign, has been using the trip to shore up support and flex his diplomatic muscles with Queen Camilla. 

But heckling from an indigenous senator over colonisation, a growing republican campaign in the country and a vocal reparations movement ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa has threatened to mire the occasion in political controversy. 

As the King flies to preside over the bi-annual Commonwealth summit, what can he do in the face of these issues? 

Previously, the King has not ruled out the possibility of paying reparations for the Royal family’s historical links to the slave trade. While the King has never made known his personal views on reparations, during his trip to Rwanda in 2022, he praised the way Canada has made progress in “reconciliation” with its indigenous people. 

He said we must find new ways to acknowledge our past – citing the most painful period of our history and saying he continues to deepen his own understanding of slavery’s enduring impact. 

Last year, he gave his full backing to a new research project into the matter, allowing access to the Royal household archives for a three-year project investigating the monarchy’s connections to slavery, which date back to the 17th century. 

It is understood before making any concrete decisions about his official response, he is waiting to see the results of the research he has allowed into the family’s association with it in the royal archives. 

Caribbean community nations have consistently asked for a formal apology as a minimum from the monarch and it is suggested that the issue will be raised with British officials and possibly even the head of the Commonwealth himself.

The King experienced an unwelcome disruption to his first visit to a realm as monarch. 

Whilst delivering a speech in which he addressed the First Nations people and their traditional wisdom, an indigenous senator used this opportunity to accost the King, shouting that he had committed genocide against her people.

The question being asked now is whether the senator’s comments, and indeed the underlying republican sentiment, reflects the feeling elsewhere in the commonwealth. 

With two thirds of the commonwealth’s 56 members now republics, the future of the international organisation and its partner nations remains as relevant as ever. 

Watch India McTaggart’s video analysis above. Find more episodes of Royal Insight on The Telegraph’s YouTube channel.

Look out for more episodes of Royal Insight, which is a fortnightly series: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-insight/

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