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Britain's King Charles III, in his speech at the opening of the Commonwealth summit, as expected, did not apologize for Britain's participation in the transatlantic slave trade, but called this phenomenon of the past a shameful page in history that "fills his soul with the deepest sadness."

Ahead of a meeting of Commonwealth heads of government in the Caribbean island nation of Antigua and Barbuda, some in Britain called for the king to formally apologize for the slave trade, but Buckingham Palace announced in advance that there would be no formal apology.

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who is also participating in the summit, previously said that he did not rule out the possibility of a formal apology, but did not consider demands for reparations justified.

King Charles in his speech tried to emphasize how deeply saddened he was by the fate of the victims of the transatlantic slave trade of past centuries.

“The transatlantic trade in enslaved people still looms large over these islands and other members of the Commonwealth. As I have already said, this shameful chapter of history fills my heart with horror and my soul with the deepest sadness,” the king said.

“It is not given to us to choose or change history,” continued Charles III. “It was left to us in all its complexity as a legacy by our ancestors, whom we cannot know. Our inheritance includes their achievements, their mistakes, their good deeds, and the injustice they committed.”

The royal couple attended the Commonwealth Summit as part of a tour of the Caribbean, and throughout the tour, Charles III touched on the subject of the slave trade.

At the first point of this tour, in the Bahamas, King Charles spoke about the suffering of slaves in his speech, then, in Guyana, he visited a memorial for the victims of the brutal suppression of a slave strike.

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The Commonwealth of Nations is an association of 56 independent states, most of which are located in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean. Many, although not all, were former British colonies. The British monarch is still the head of state in 14 Commonwealth countries besides the UK.

Meetings of the heads of government of the Commonwealth countries are held every two years, each time in a new country.

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