CHOGM: King Charles describes slave trade as shameful chapter of history

King Charles III of the United Kingdom and Head of the Commonwealth has described the slave trade as a shameful chapter of human history.

He described the slave trade as a “shameful chapter of history” that “fills my heart with horror and my soul with the most profound personal sorrow.”

Speaking at the opening of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in St John’s, Antigua and Barbuda, he acknowledged the enduring shadow of the transatlantic slave trade and urged Commonwealth member nations to draw lessons from history.

“We cannot change the actions of those who came before us. We can, however, learn from the past.” The King said.

He noted that the transatlantic trade in enslaved persons still casts a shadow over the islands and other Members of their 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.”

It would be recalled that on March 25, 2026, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a landmark resolution (Resolution A/RES/80/250/A/80/L.48) declaring the transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans and racialised chattel enslavement as “the gravest crime against humanity”.

Spearheaded by Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama and backed by the African Union and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the resolution passed with 123 countries voting in favour.

“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,” King Charles noted.

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; saying, “I have always felt that there is so much that can be done to help lift up those who struggle against hardship and disadvantage”.

The Monarch said the Commonwealth of today was not merely a product of the past, but a response to the world of today.

He said brutal conflict stalked their world, destroying lives and casting long shadows across the globe.

Touching on the theme of this year’s CHOGM – “Accelerating Partnerships and Investment for a Prosperous Commonwealth”, the King said it represented such a vital opportunity for them all.

He said to realise these opportunities, in the field of climate and nature, for example, transformative investment could drive real change, such as in renewable energy and resilient infrastructure, in sustainable, regenerative agriculture and agroforestry and food systems, in their oceans, forests and in the natural systems upon which their economies and societies ultimately depend.

He said in the Caribbean, as in so many parts of their Commonwealth, climate change was not some distant prospect; it was an alarming reality.

He said as they know, large Ocean States had contributed little to the causes of climate change, and yet they were among those bearing the greatest cost.

“If we mobilise climate finance through the private sector, and with the leveraging capacity of the public sector, we can drive investment into climate resilience,” he stated.

The King noted that nature herself was an essential form of capital that sustains our prosperity and wellbeing, and yet they had persisted for too long to live off Nature’s capital rather than her income.

The King commended Madam Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, for announcing a series of Nature and climate proposals for consideration at this year’s Heads Meeting: a new Commonwealth Nature Initiative with funding to restore habitats; work with insurers on the proposal for a Commonwealth-backed mutual insurance mechanism to provide rapid payouts after disasters; and aspirations for a Commonwealth Net Zero Fund to provide access to credit for a renewable-energy revolution.

The Monarch said Commonwealth leaders, the private sector and civil society would work together on innovative proposals in support of all the citizens of the Commonwealth, especially in countries most vulnerable to the reality of climate change.

This year’s meeting, which is on the theme “Accelerating Partnerships and Investment for a Prosperous Commonwealth”, is being attended by President John Dramani Mahama.

The Commonwealth, which is headed by King Charles III of the United Kingdom, is a voluntary association of 56 independent and equal countries.

It is home to 2.7 billion people and includes both advanced economies and developing countries.

Thirty-three members of the Commonwealth are small states, including many island nations.