APIA (Reuters) — Britain’s King Charles and Queen Camilla flew out of Samoa on Saturday, after a visit in which the monarch acknowledged the Commonwealth’s “painful” history, amid a push for former colonial powers to pay reparations for their role in transatlantic slavery.
Representatives of 56 countries, most with roots in Britain’s empire, are attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting that began in Samoa on Monday, with slavery and the threat of climate change emerging as major themes.
On Saturday, the meeting’s final day, Charles and Camilla left Samoa about 12 p.m. local time on a Royal Australia Air Force jet, waving farewell as they boarded the plane at Apia’s Faleolo International Airport.
Earlier, the royal pair attended a farewell ceremony at the village of Siumu, which took place in heavy rain.
On Friday, Charles said in a speech to the summit that he understood “from listening to people across the Commonwealth how the most painful aspects of our past continue to resonate”.
“It is vital, therefore, that we understand our history, to guide us towards making the right choices in future,” he said.
The push for ex-colonial powers such as Britain to pay reparations or make other amends for slavery and its legacies today has gained momentum worldwide, particularly among the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the African Union.
Those opposed to reparations say countries should not be held responsible for historical wrongs, while those in support say the legacy of slavery has led to vast and persistent racial inequality.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is at the summit, has rejected calls for reparations and ruled out apologising for the country’s historic role.
The King and Queen’s time in Samoa followed a six-day tour of Australia, where a large crowd turned out to see the royal couple at the Sydney Opera House. Charles also met with Indigenous elders in Sydney, after being heckled by an Indigenous senator in Canberra.