King Charles III has launched a nine-day Caribbean tour, beginning in the Bahamas. The 77-year-old monarch, who is undergoing cancer treatment, will visit the Bahamas, Guyana, and Antigua and Barbuda accompanied by Queen Camilla. In the Bahamas, the king received a ceremonial welcome and attended a youth rally at Clifford Park, the site where the country officially gained independence from British colonial rule in 1973.
The tour comes amid increasingly vocal demands from the region for Britain to pay reparations for its role in the slave trade. Activists and officials have warned that the king must do more to address the monarchy's historic links to slavery. Campaigners say the tour could hasten the removal of the king as head of state in several countries unless he further confronts the monarchy's role in the slave trade.
During the tour, the king acknowledged the great suffering of the past and confirmed he will discuss the legacy of slavery at the Commonwealth heads of government meeting. As he faces calls for apologies and reparations for Britain's colonial past, the monarch will also highlight climate threats.