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By Jack Royston
Chief Royal Correspondent
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King Charles III's long standing position that he cannot apologize for slavery could soon change after British Prime Minister Andy Burnham indicated a possible shift in the British Government's position.
Charles is preparing to give a major speech to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting [CHOGM], in Antigua and Barbuda, on Tuesday at which his audience will include the leaders of countries that were previously part of the British Empire before becoming independent. He is not expected to apologize in the speech but it will be his first dealing with the issue since Burnham's remarks.
Ahead of the summit, Burnham indicated the U.K. could be open to a possible change in the country's stance on slavery, writing in The Guardian: "Listening to calls for a formal apology on behalf of the British state will form an important part of this process, and I am open to them."
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Why It Matters
The king is Britain's ceremonial head of state but does not decide government policy and constitutionally cannot oppose his own government. That convention has long made an apology for slavery impossible for the Monarchy.
However, Burnham has indicated he could shift toward apologizing for slavery while refusing calls to pay reparations. Such a change, if it happens, would then open the door to Charles apologizing too.
What Andy Burnham Wrote in Op-Ed
"For years, those members of the Commonwealth affected by the slave trade have asked for an honest conversation about the legacies of slavery," Burnham wrote in his Guardian piece last week. "By sticking our heads in the sand, we have damaged the ability of the Commonwealth to function."
While his words moved British foreign policy closer to the apology asked for by countries affected by slavery, Burnham made it clear he did not plan to shift stance on reparations.
"We are offering a structured dialogue with those affected by the trans-Atlantic slave trade," he wrote. "Listening to calls for a formal apology on behalf of the British state will form an important part of this process, and I am open to them.
"Some have called for financial reparations for the slave trade. I do not believe that is the right answer. I do not think that British people today can be held liable for historical wrongs, however heinous, that happened in a different age under different laws and in which they played no personal part."
Burnham is preparing for his first meeting of the leaders of the 56 Commonwealth countries and it is expected reparations and slavery will be discussed.
The Commonwealth is a voluntary partnership that emerged out of the decline of the British Empire, however, it is not exclusively made up of countries that gained independence from the U.K. Some countries that were never colonized by Britain have chosen to join over the years, such as Rwanda.
King Charles' Speech at CHOGM
The Prime Minister's comments increase the pressure on Charles to pull off his speech with no slip ups but it is not currently expected that he will include an apology. Burnham's piece for The Guardian indicated an openness to discussing an apology but stopped short of delivering one, meaning U.K. foreign policy on the issue has not changed yet.
Additionally, while most of Charles' speeches given on overseas tours are written with British foreign policy goals in mind, Newsweek understands CHOGM speeches are different. The king will be speaking as the head of the Commonwealth, not as a representative of Britain. Burnham's Government will therefore be given a heads-up about what to expect but will not set priorities for what the speech should cover.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: "As we have indicated, the King will not shy away from confronting the most shameful aspects of the past during this visit.
"You may therefore expect him to address them in his speech with unflinching honesty, sincere sorrow, and respect for the wider discussions that will be taking place between relevant governments on this issue at CHOGM and beyond.
"He will be speaking at CHOGM in his capacity as head of the Commonwealth. It would not be appropriate for him to address matters of particular policy relating to the UK government's position."
Pressure on the British Monarchy Over Slavery
King Charles has been under pressure to apologize for Britain's role in the slave trade for many years and as far back as a visit to Ghana in 2018 he described the "appalling atrocity" of slavery as the "most painful chapter" in the nation's history with Europe.
Those remarks were at Christiansborg Castle, in Osu, a coastal fort used for the slave trade by the Danish Empire, meaning the visit avoided laying the blame solely at Britain's door.
However, more recent comments have been more specific to Britain's relationship with the countries of its former empire, particularly in the Caribbean.
When he visited the Bahamas last week, he said: "We know some of what is best about Bahamian culture today: The most joyful, the most hopeful, the most bright, was born out of darkness."
"It is only right that we should acknowledge the great suffering and injustices of the past in these islands and beyond," he continued, "even as we rejoice in the successes of the present and build new opportunities for the future."
Jamaica has filed a lawsuit in the U.K. seeking a legal opinion on whether there might be an obligation to pay reparations and a hearing is expected in March.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Ben Kelly and Trevor Davies
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