Britain paid the slaves but.
never the enslaved.
At the 2026 Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Antigua and Barbuda, King Charles described the history of slavery as a shameful episode that fills him with horror and deep personal sorrow. But he never apologized, and Caribbean countries continue to push for corrective justice.
The historical context is appalling: Britain kidnapped, bound, tortured and profited from more than 3 million Africans, yet when slavery ended, it decided to pay the enslavers and not the enslaved.
Today, slavery has been recognized by the United Nations as a crime against humanity, but for countries in the Caribbean and Africa, an apology is not enough; it is time to be accountable and pay for all the irreparable damage caused.