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Britain's King Charles lands in ex-colony Guyana / Photo: © POOL/AFP
Britain's King Charles lands in ex-colony Guyana
British King Charles landed in Guyana on Thursday as part of a Caribbean tour, looking to underscore the climate crisis while facing pressure to apologize for Britain's hand in slavery.
The former colony is the second of three countries Charles is visiting on a nine-day trip, with several heads of state asking him to make amends for colonization and the transatlantic slave trade that profited his ancestors for centuries.
Guyana's President Irfaan Ali greeted Charles as he stepped off the plane at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport.
The monarch inspected a guard of honor before travelling to Georgetown, where he attended a state reception at the presidential palace.
He met reggae star Eddy Grant at the event, while Ali gifted him a table, to which the king jokingly asked, "How am I going to get it home?"
The visit to Guyana marks 60 years of bilateral relations between the countries after the former colony gained independence.
Over two days in the small, oil-rich nation, Charles will focus on the regional impact of climate change, notably visiting a rainforest conservation site.
The tour comes as Britain faces pressure to confront uglier parts of its history, namely its central role in chattel slavery.
The king has acknowledged this reality but has stopped short of apologizing.
"It is only right that we should acknowledge the great suffering and injustices of the past in these islands and beyond, even as we rejoice in the successes of the present and build new opportunities for the future," he said at a youth rally in the Bahamas, his first destination.
He said leaders of "affected" Commonwealth nations would be discussing the issue in Antigua and Barbuda next week, where the subject of reparations for slavery will be on the table, according to Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey.
"Pay what you owe us," read placards waved by protesters in the Bahamas.
Last week, Guyana's Ali told ITV News an apology was "the next step."
He demanded accountability from the former empire which he said "exploited the region," "destroyed lives" and "created underdevelopment."
The monarch and the president have "a very warm relationship," a royal spokesperson said.
The 77-year-old king, who is receiving treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer, will be joined by his wife, Queen Camilla, in Antigua and Barbuda, where he will address a Commonwealth heads of government (CHOGM) summit.
R.Zakrzewski--GL
