Russell Myers: King's Caribbean parade won't appease years of justified discontent

It was billed as perhaps the most perilous tour of the King’s reign. Since the last one at least. Nine days, three nations and a chorus of demands for an apology and reparations that grew louder with every stop. Yet, as I witnessed on the ground shadowing nearly his every move, the King’s Caribbean tour seemed a success. In Nassau, Charles surprised everyone by joining the dancing at a Junkanoo parade, and it is easy to see why that great wall of cheers he received in doing so would echo long in his memory. In Guyana, on a whirlwind (barely over a day) state visit marking 60 years of diplomatic ties, he was welcomed with a traditional necklace by Indigenous women and stood at Independence Park to recognise both the suffering of the enslaved and their resistance. Even a torrential downpour in Antigua could not dampen the warmth of the crowds who cheered him at the independence celebrations. But warm receptions do not settle arguments, and may do little to quell the voices of discontent in the camps now openly suggesting it is time for new paths to be forged. In his opening address to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, Charles faced down calls for an apology by reminding the world that Britain, and the Royal Navy in particular, helped bring the transatlantic trade to an end. Evil, he declared, need not have the last word. Carefully chosen lines, indeed, but what is most striking about seeing the King – and latterly the Queen on the last leg of the gruelling tour – is how this has now become the norm for Charles, and will undoubtedly affect his son and heir, William. Granted, Charles did not shy away from the horrors of the darkest part of our history. He spoke again of his profound personal sorrow, of a trade that still casts a shadow over many parts of the world still connected to Britain. But these are words he has offered before, in Kigali, in Barbados and in Nassau only a week earlier. Andy Burnham ’s openness to discussing an apology raised expectations sharply on the eve of the summit, and the Prime Minister was left fending off claims he had made life difficult for the King. Yet nothing changed. Charles acts on the advice of his government, and Mr Burnham has neither asked him to apologise nor moved an inch on reparations. For Prince William, the landscape has also changed forever. Ask him what he learned from his 2022 tour of the region and he might break into a cold sweat. For all the plaudits Charles received this week, his son knows how quickly a Caribbean tour can turn sour. William’s inheritance will undoubtedly contain these same issues which can consume if not properly armed with a plan. The monarchy must fear that charm offensives and staged walkabouts will not be enough to hold the line. Charles has kept the conversation civil. But William will perhaps be the one who has to answer it. Whether the Commonwealth looks anything like it does now is far from certain. That leaves the bigger question unanswered. PMs Philip Davis of The Bahamas and Gaston Browne of Antigua have both spoken about becoming republics, and Jamaica has addressed its reparations petition to the King. This is not a campaign that will only grow after the royal plane has departed. Charles has gone further than any monarch before him and the cheers on streets were genuine, but they may count for little when these nations decide their futures. William goals for George in public gaze The pictures from the Camp Nou were hardly the stuff of royal fairy tales. Sat in the pouring rain, Prince William and Prince George looked thoroughly fed up as Barcelona’s superstars put three past their beloved Aston Villa. But look beyond the glum faces and there is something rather special going on. This was George’s first public appearance since starting at Eton in September, a half-term treat with his dad in front of more than 80,000 fans. There was a personalised Barca shirt from club president Joan Laporta and a seat in the VIP box. It was the kind of night any football-mad father and son would dream of. And that matters. William is easing George into public life on his own terms, through shared passions rather than stiff engagements and endless handshakes. William knows better than most what it is to have the world’s expectations heaped upon young shoulders. His teenage years were lived under an unforgiving spotlight, and he was asked to carry burdens no boy should have to bear. On this week’s Pod Save the King show – on YouTube and all podcast platforms – we discuss how William is determined George will not suffer the same. By letting his son grow used to the cameras at a football match, where the only pressure is on the players, William is building his confidence quietly and naturally. When George does begin royal life in earnest, he will be ready for it. And he will have his father to thank, even if Tuesday night was not quite the evening either of them had hoped for. Power from loyal star team The King has always understood the power of a famous face, and this week he called on two of the best. Sir Idris Elba, whose acting career was kickstarted by a grant from the King’s Trust, has become one of his most loyal champions and a firm friend. Then came the master blaster himself. West Indies legend Sir Vivian Richards has agreed to become an ambassador for Charles’s Sustainable Markets Initiative, telling me in Antigua it is “an immense privilege to represent the King in Antigua and across the Commonwealth”. When the message is about the future of the Caribbean, Charles has found help on a sticky wicket. Sophie gets on with the job during incognito visit While all eyes were on the King in Antigua, one of the more unassuming working members of his family was quietly getting on with the job on the same island. The Duchess of Edinburgh, a global ambassador for the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, joined the first-ever Global Summit for Eye Health, held alongside CHOGM, so the issue could catch the attention of world leaders. Sophie rarely grabs the headlines, but she is exactly the kind of silent doer a slimmed-down monarchy depends on. 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 www.youtube.com/@podsavethekingmirror . And keep in touch on Instagram @podsave .