Beckles asks King Charles to use his influence on slavery reparations

Draft Commonwealth communiqué draws dispute over dialogue on historical harms

Professor Hilary Beckles, chair of the Caricom Reparations Commission, urged King Charles III to use his influence to advance slavery reparations talks between Britain and the Caribbean at next month’s Commonwealth heads of government meeting in Antigua and Barbuda. Beckles made the appeal at a press conference ahead of the meeting, which Charles was scheduled to attend.

Beckles framed the request personally, saying he was appealing to Charles beyond the king’s roles as head of the Commonwealth and constitutional monarch of the United Kingdom. “I’m appealing to Charles Windsor, a parent, a grandparent, a man today who reflects upon the history of his family, and he can see the enrichment that slavery has presented to his family.” Beckles said Charles’s family had benefited from slavery and declared that he believed the king was aware that the wealth being passed to his children and grandchildren came from chattel slavery. Referring to Charles as “a man, as a human brother,” Beckles urged him to ensure that the Commonwealth, historically “the site of this crime,” becomes a “moral institution committed to human justice.”

A photograph published with the report shows Beckles speaking on 18 June 2026 during a plenary session of a high-level consultative conference on next steps to a UN resolution concerning the trafficking of enslaved Africans.

The appeal came amid growing calls from Caribbean leaders and groups for Charles to apologize formally for slavery during his visits to Guyana and the Bahamas next week, ahead of Chogm in Antigua. On Thursday, Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey told Sky News that a formal apology “wouldn’t hurt” and that the “time has come” for a serious conversation regarding reparations.

Eric Phillips, head of Guyana’s reparations committee and vice-chair of the Caricom Reparations Commission, joined the calls for an apology. He said: “The king is a decent monarch based on his lifelong commitments to the world in which the environment for him is sacred. We Africans are also part of that sacred environment. As an enlightened monarch, I strongly believe King Charles will want to promote a conversation of decency that reflects his character and values.” Phillips added: “The citizens of the United Kingdom say, long live the king. We in Guyana say, long live the king, so he can apologize and call for reparations.”

Last month, Jamaican officials lodged a petition seeking legal advice from Charles on Jamaica’s claim for slavery reparations. The Privy Council will hear the petition in March. A palace spokesperson said Charles “has on many occasions expressed his personal and wholehearted commitment to promoting greater understanding around the issue of slavery and finding ways to address historic wrongs for the benefit of communities today.”

David Comissiong, deputy chair of the Barbados National Task Force on Reparations, said he was concerned about the lack of unanimous agreement on reparations commitments in a draft of the 2026 Chogm communiqué. The draft communiqué records agreements made by leaders, Comissiong said. One paragraph was confirmed. It referenced the commitment to dialogue at the previous Commonwealth summit in Samoa and highlighted subsequent developments at the UN, African Union and Caricom.

The disagreement centered on a proposed second paragraph that would mandate Commonwealth foreign ministers to advance discussions of historical harms from the transatlantic slave trade through “structured, inclusive, and good faith dialogue.” Comissiong said it was “very peculiar, to say the least,” that the paragraph had not been unanimously agreed upon.

Dorbrene O’Marde, chair of the Antigua and Barbuda reparations commission, said campaigners were expected to raise reparations during the conferences’ major forums. He said discussions between governments were also expected to take place at meetings connected with the conferences.

O’Marde said the reparations movement would launch the “Global Reparations Caravan” at a separate event on 3 November. He described the movement as international and said it combines reparations advocacy, demonstrations and culture. O’Marde said there would be stringent security measures around the event and that he expected physical demonstrations from groups “inflamed” by blanket statements against an apology coming from the UK. He said: “Blanket no apologies from both government and monarchy reek of gross insensitivity to the demands of the citizens of the Caribbean.”

Beckles stressed that the absence of a dedicated official event at Chogm did not mean reparations would remain peripheral. He described the meeting as “the Chogm of reparations” and “the first round of reparations negotiations.” “This is the meeting of the Commonwealth in the Caribbean, and the number one item in the Caribbean as far as this gathering is concerned is reparatory justice,” he said. He added: “I can assure you that [for] everyone in the Caribbean right now, everyone who’s going to be at that meeting from the Caribbean, with an interest in the Caribbean, from Africa, and an interest in the global African movement, this will be the number one item on the table.”