King Charles and Keir Starmer brace for reparations debate at Commonwealth summit

London (CNN) — Britain’s government and King Charles III are bracing for a heated conversation about reparations for the transatlantic slave trade, as the issue looks set to overshadow a summit of Commonwealth leaders in Samoa.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer told reporters on his journey to the Pacific island nation: “I think we should be facing forward.

“I’ve talked to a lot of our Commonwealth colleagues in the Commonwealth family and they’re facing real challenges on things like climate in the here and now.”

But the BBC reported on Thursday that diplomats are preparing text for the summit’s official communique that would commit to a “meaningful, truthful and respectful conversation” on the issue.

Britain enslaved 3.1 million Africans between 1640 and 1807, transporting them to colonies around the world, according to Historic England, a government-funded organization. Many of these people were taken to the Caribbean to work on sugar plantations, which made their owners wealthy through the export of sugar, molasses and rum, according to the National Archives.

Successive British governments have resisted calls to formally apologize for the slave trade, or to entertain the prospect of reparations. A 2023 report by the Brattle Group, conducted for the University of West Indies and convened by then-International Court of Justice judge Patrick Robinson, found Britain could be expected to pay $24 trillion (£18.5 trillion) to 14 countries, which is about seven times Britain’s GDP of $3.5 trillion (£2.7 trillion).

The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, or CHOGM, is held every two years, and brings together delegations from the 56 member states.

Also in attendance in Samoa is King Charles III, who arrived in the capital of Apia on Wednesday from Australia, and will formally open the summit as head of the organization.

In recent years, the British monarchy has adopted a more conciliatory tone when addressing the past horrors of transatlantic slavery. In Kenya last November, his first trip to a Commonwealth nation as head of the body, Charles said the “wrongdoings of the past are a cause of the greatest sorrow and the deepest regret.”

At the last Commonwealth leaders’ summit two years ago in Rwanda, Charles, who at the time was stepping in for Queen Elizabeth II, said the Commonwealth needed to “find new ways to acknowledge our past.”

He added: “Quite simply, this is a conversation whose time has come. Your Excellencies, conversations start with listening.”

Since his accession, Charles has also shown his support for ongoing research into the monarchy’s historical ties to slavery. His son Prince William has also spoken of his “profound sorrow” over slavery while visiting Jamaica in 2022.

While members of the British royal family have shown contrition, they have stopped short of an apology, because on overseas tours such as these, King Charles is a representative of his government and as such he has to stick to the official script.

He can only go as far as the UK government’s position and act on the advice of ministers. A formal apology and acceptance of responsibility is seen by many as the gateway to financial restitution which the UK government has made clear it will not entertain.

But the issue is certain to dominate Commonwealth events in years to come. The bloc will elect its new secretary general at this week’s summit, and all three candidates have said they support reparations, Reuters reported last month.

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CNN’s Hanna Ziady contributed to this report.