Russell Myers: 'King’s heartfelt words on slavery may never be enough for Caribbean'

Within hours of stepping off the plane in Nassau, the King went straight to the issue everyone had been waiting for him to address. Standing at Clifford Park, the very spot where The Bahamas declared its independence in 1973, Charles told a youth rally that some of what is best in Bahamian culture was “born out of darkness”. It was only right, he said, to “acknowledge the great suffering and injustices of the past in these islands and beyond”. These were carefully chosen words, of course, and delivered with obvious sincerity. But they were not the word campaigners have been demanding, and the question now is whether they will be enough. Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali, who welcomes the King later this week, has already given his verdict, describing the recognition of the darkest days as merely a first step. With Commonwealth leaders confirmed to discuss the legacy of slavery at their summit in Antigua, the pressure will only build. It leaves Charles in an almost impossible position. Few who know him doubt how deeply this issue affects him. He spoke of his personal sorrow in Kigali, of the greatest sorrow and deepest regret in Kenya, and he opened the royal archives to researchers investigating the Crown’s links to the slave trade. This is a man who has spent his life following his conscience, often to the irritation of governments. Yet on this, the constitution leaves him little room. The King acts on the advice of his ministers, and Andy Burnham ’s government has made it plain there will be no apology and no reparations. An apology in his name, however heartfelt, would be seen as an admission of liability on behalf of the nation and would put the monarch on a collision course with Downing Street. Everything he has said and done on this subject suggests that, were he free to follow his heart, Charles would go further. For a man of principle who has spent years deepening his understanding of slavery’s enduring impact, stopping short must be agonising. There is a real risk this conversation comes to define not only his reign, but that of his son, Prince William. The Prince and Princess of Wales learned that the hard way in 2022, when images of them shaking hands with children through a wire fence in Jamaica and riding in the same open Land Rover once used by the late Queen were condemned as relics of empire. William admitted afterwards that the tour had brought questions about the past and the future into sharper focus, and his overseas trips since, built largely around Earthshot, have been noticeably lighter on pomp and heavier on purpose. In realms such as The Bahamas and Antigua, where the King remains head of state, the debate over slavery is increasingly bound up with the debate over the monarchy itself. Every tour of the Caribbean will now come with the same question attached. Charles has gone further than any monarch before him in confronting this history. Whether that is judged to have been far enough may not be his decision to make. Could Thomas Markle scandal be the most unlikely path to reconciliation between the Sussexes and the royal family? The allegations swirling around Thomas Markle are as grim as they come. The 82-year-old is under investigation by police in the Philippines over the alleged possession of child sexual abuse material, following a complaint made by his own son. He has not been charged and strongly denies any wrongdoing, calling the claims “sick lies”. Yet, for Meghan, estranged from her father since the eve of her wedding, it is a nightmare. She has since spoken of being deeply distressed and revealed she was told of disturbing allegations back in 2019, but assured they were being handled by the authorities. Whatever you think of the Sussexes, nobody would wish this on any daughter. On this week’s episode of our award winning show, Pod Save the King, we discuss how given the royal family ’s experience with grubby scandal in recent years, there will surely be sympathy from the King over Meghan being thrust into the centre of a harrowing issue that has little to do with her. The King’s handling of his brother Andrew, stripped of his titles amid the fallout from his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, was painful, public and deeply personal. Charles, of all people, understands the agony of choosing between family loyalty and doing what is right. Meghan, for her part, has been absolutely definitive in choosing to cut her father off from her life and that of her children. One scandal cannot heal years of hurt. But shared pain has a way of softening hard hearts. Relaxed William shows monarchy is headed in a different direction The future King on Graham Norton’s famous red sofa was certainly not on my bingo card! But Prince William looked utterly at home. Sharing the couch with Cate Blanchett, Hannah Waddingham and Robert Irwin for special on his Earthshot Prize which is heading to India next month, he chatted about Aston Villa (obviously), admitted he watches The Traitors (aren’t we all?) with Charlotte and Louis, and confessed he once harboured dreams of being a DJ! He even judged the audience’s funniest stories. It was warm, funny and completely natural. William is a modern man who understands that connecting with people matters, and he is steering the monarchy firmly in the right direction. The Princess of Wales is going global The Princess of Wales is quietly building a formidable global network. Her working session with Melinda French Gates, the billionaire philanthropist and former wife of Bill Gates, was the second time the pair have met in little over a year, and this time it came with a firm commitment. The Royal Foundation will now work with French Gates’s organisation Pivotal over the coming months on how Catherine’s Shaping Us framework can help young people thrive. Partnering with one of the most influential women in world philanthropy shows Catherine stepping confidently onto the global stage, with the clout to match. New episodes of the Mirror's award-winning royal podcast Pod Save The King are available each week on YouTube. Subscribe to the Pod Save The King YouTube channel to make sure you don’t miss an episode ww.youtube.com/@podsavethekingmirror. And keep in touch on Instagram @podsave.