This is the first meeting of world leaders that the Prince of Wales has attended since it was established in 2018 that he will succeed the Queen as head of the Commonwealth.
In a speech at the start of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Rwanda, the Prince of Wales voiced his “personal grief” over “slavery’s ongoing impact” and addressed the controversial issue of other Commonwealth nations severing links with the Royal Family.
The prince called on Commonwealth leaders to join him in openly addressing the atrocities of the slave trade and other painful aspects of colonial history at the Kigali ceremony marking the official start of the leader-level CHOGM meetings.
He stated, “To unleash the potential of our shared future, we must also recognize the wrongs that have defined our history. Many of these wrongdoings are relics of an older era with different and in some ways lower values.”
The prince also stated at the ceremony that he wishes to recognize “that the roots of our modern affiliation are deeply rooted in the worst period of our history.”
He said, “I cannot express the depths of my grief at the suffering of so many as I continue to increase my awareness of slavery’s ongoing effects.”
It follows recent royal trips during which members of the Royal Family have been asked to apologize for their role in the slave trade.
Princes Charles and William have already expressed regret without apologizing, presumably to avoid entering the issue of whether Caribbean nations should be compensated for what occurred.
This most recent address directly to the leaders, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson, may be read as the prince urging them to do more to resolve this situation.
This is the first heads of government meeting that the Prince of Wales has attended since it was confirmed in 2018 that he will automatically succeed the Queen as head of the Commonwealth; therefore, it was striking that he used the opportunity to address the possibility of other realms severing ties with the Royal Family.
He stated, “Within the Commonwealth are nations that have had constitutional ties with my family, some of which continue to do so, and an increasing number of nations that have none.
“As I’ve stated previously, I’d like to state unequivocally that each member’s constitutional structure, republic or monarchy, is solely an issue for each member nation to decide. The advantage of a long life has provided me with the knowledge that systems such as this are amenable to change.”
In November of last year, Prince Charles traveled to Barbados on behalf of the Queen to observe the Caribbean island’s transformation into a republic.
Even if their relationship with the monarchy changes, it is crucial that all kingdoms remain a member of the Commonwealth family, as he emphasized when he spoke about that event.
He stated, “As I said in Barbados last November, we should never forget the things that do not change: the close and trustworthy partnership between Commonwealth members; our shared values and goals; and, perhaps most importantly, the strong and enduring ties between the Commonwealth’s peoples, which strengthen us all.
In the past, the palace has frequently emphasized that the Royal Family considers all decisions regarding the future of individual nations to be the entire responsibility of their respective citizens. Both the Queen and Prince Charles have addressed this issue in prior speeches.
But the prince’s remarks in front of representatives from all 54 Commonwealth countries are undoubtedly a reaction to the growing debate in various realms that members of the Royal Family have witnessed on overseas tours, most notably the calls for Jamaica to become a republic during the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s visit.
As Commonwealth realms, fifteen countries, including the United Kingdom, are currently ruled by the Queen.
Prince Charles is scheduled to have tea with Prime Minister Boris Johnson later on.
Their “catch up” – and whether they will discuss Rwanda’s immigration policy – has dominated much of the headlines surrounding the meeting thus far.
Yesterday, the prime minister announced that he would speak with the prince about the government’s plans to return asylum seekers to the nation, in response to rumors that the prince privately disapproves of the proposal.
Yesterday evening, however, both No. 10 and the palace indicated that it is doubtful that they will address the Rwanda strategy.
In its place, the three issues on the agenda are sustainability, youth, and the history and principles of the Commonwealth, as well as Charles’s enthusiasm for it.
