Russell Myers: King Charles in danger of being remembered as monarch who didn't apologise

As the King stood in reflection in Georgetown, on the very ground where enslaved Africans were executed after the Demerara uprising of 1823, it was impossible not to be encapsulated by the moment. Even before Charles' arrival in The Bahamas earlier this week and Guyana today, this tour has been dominated by the issue of slavery and reparations. I have no doubt that Charles' personal feeling over slavery is deeply felt and perhaps, given the freedom to do so rather than being restricted by the government, he would feel moved to issue an apology for Britain and the monarchy's historic role in slavery. Indeed, within hours of landing in Nassau on Tuesday, he told a youth rally: "It is only right that we acknowledge the great suffering of the past in these islands and beyond". Yet, however heartfelt his words, they have not quietened the clamour that has followed him across the Caribbean. At a Junkanoo parade in Nassau, one sign in the crowd read simply: "Pay us what you owe us." In Guyana, President Irfaan Ali has welcomed the King's past expressions of regret but made clear an apology must be the next step. And today came perhaps the most striking intervention of the tour so far. Speaking to Sky News, Bahamian Prime Minister Philip Davis said he was open to losing the King as head of state, just days after giving him the warmest of welcomes. The future of the monarchy, he said, was "a question for my people" and he would be "guided by the will" of Bahamians. Asked directly whether he was open to it, he replied: "I'm open to it, yes." Mr Davis was careful. He described himself as "quite agnostic", noted that a referendum was not part of his mandate and acknowledged that many Bahamians did not want to "rid ourselves of part of our history". But his message to Britain was unmistakable. To those who see no need for an apology, he said: "I think they have to appreciate the weight of that history and that ancestors like ourselves continue to bear." Here lies the King's dilemma. He acts on the advice of his ministers, and the Government has ruled out both an apology and reparations, fearing a legal precedent that could open the floodgates for former colonies around the world. Mr Davis himself recognises that. He said the King "acts on the advice of his government", and conceded that financial reparations could be "challenging". Repair, he suggested, might instead mean acknowledgement, education and training, even pointing to the King's Trust scholarships as "a form of repair". That is perhaps the most hopeful note for Charles. There is a path between apology and silence, and it is one he has walked for years. He has also confirmed that Commonwealth leaders will discuss the legacy of slavery in Antigua next week, at a summit he will preside over. Yet the ground is shifting beneath him. Barbados left in 2021. Jamaica is pushing towards becoming a republic and now the leader of a nation that welcomed him so warmly this week admits he is open to the King's departure. None of this is of Charles's making. He has gone further than any monarch before him in confronting the past. But history rarely judges kings on intentions alone. If Chogm ends with warm words and little else, the danger is that his reign in the Caribbean will be remembered not for the moments of reflection, but for the apology that never came.