King Charles begins Caribbean tour as CARICOM commission makes reparations summit's top priority

The CARICOM Reparations Commission wants reparations at the top of the agenda at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in St John's, Antigua and Barbuda. King Charles III is touring the Caribbean ahead of that gathering.

What the commission is demanding

The commission has branded the November summit the "reparations CHOGM", according to The Gleaner, and insists the issue take priority. Its chair, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, told a press conference: "The region is mobilised, the governments are mobilised". He added that the commission would make sure the label holds.

The King's itinerary

Charles began the tour in the Bahamas on Tuesday, according to the Jamaica Observer. It covers three countries in nine days. He travels alone to the Bahamas and Guyana, then Queen Camilla joins him in Antigua and Barbuda, where he addresses the summit. The Observer says he is expected to acknowledge "the great suffering of the past" and to speak about the climate threats facing low-lying islands.

Buckingham Palace described the tour as a chance for the king to look forward, meet young people and discuss climate change. The Observer reports that he will also address colonial issues at each stage.

Pressure for an apology

The Observer reports that Guyana's President Irfaan Ali, who is due to meet Charles, told ITV News that the king's recognition of the "darkest days" of British history was only a "first step". Ali said: "Now, moving to the apology is the next step,". He accused the former empire of having "exploited the region".

Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey told Sky News that it "wouldn't hurt" for the king to apologise. She said the "time has come" to discuss reparations, in the form of financial payments or otherwise. She declined to say whether the UK government and royals should pursue them. She said leaders may discuss reparatory justice in Antigua and Barbuda, and the Commonwealth would "support" countries in those talks.

The Observer adds that no modern monarch has formally apologised, and that the UK government has resisted financial compensation. Last month Jamaica, where Charles remains head of state, filed a petition in a London appeals court. The petition is meant to advance its push for reparations. The Observer gives the dates of the government meeting as November 1 to 4.