Commonwealth chief says a royal apology for slavery "wouldn't hurt"

The Commonwealth's Secretary-General has said that an apology from King Charles for slavery "wouldn't hurt". Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, who leads the Commonwealth Secretariat, the administrative body that runs the organisation's day-to-day work, made the remark in an interview with Sky News. The Commonwealth brings together 56 countries, many of them once part of the British Empire.

Asked whether the King should apologise for the Crown's historical involvement in the slave trade, she replied: "That's what the countries have asked for." She said numerous Commonwealth countries had called for an apology, and that the time had come for meaningful discussions about reparations. Pressed on whether she personally wanted to see an apology, she said: "It wouldn't hurt to have that. Not at all." She also said, "I don't believe we can run away from it." (Royal Central)

Reparations, meaning payments or other redress for a historic wrong, do not have to take the form of direct cash, she said. She pointed instead to concessional financing, which means loans on softer terms than normal lending. She also mentioned the treatment of debt, climate-related support, and the return of cultural artefacts, such as objects taken from former colonies and now held in British museums.

The Palace has already addressed the topic this autumn. In early October, Buckingham Palace said King Charles "will not shy away from the slavery issue" during his tour of the Caribbean. Reuters reported at the time that the King was not planning to issue a formal apology during that tour. (Reuters)

The UK government has taken a different line on payments. In October 2024, the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer said the country was "not going to be paying out" reparations for the transatlantic slave trade. The UK Prime Minister said that "We can't change our history." (BBC News)

The King has spoken about the subject before. At the Commonwealth summit in October 2024, he acknowledged the organisation's "painful" history with slavery, at a time when calls for reparations were growing. (Reuters)

Ms Botchwey's remarks are the latest in a long-running debate. An apology and reparations are separate questions, and she addressed both. Buckingham Palace has not, in the reporting so far, announced any change to its position.