Three countries. Nine days. King Charles III is kicking off his Caribbean tour.
The trip, part of which Queen Camilla will join, is shaping up to be one of the monarch's most controversial yet amid growing demands for reparations and calls for the 77-year-old to apologize over Britain's historical role in the slave trade.
Earlier this month, Buckingham Palace said the king would not shy away from addressing “the darkest days of our past,” though on British government advice, he will not issue a formal apology for the nation's role in the slave trade. The are legal implications if Britain were to apologize.
The royal tour begins Oct. 27 and ends Nov. 4. The king will visit Bahamas and Guyana alone before the queen joins him to visit Antigua and Barbuda,
where he will speak at a meeting of Commonwealth heads of government.
Why is King Charles' Caribbean tour so controversial?
As he tours the Caribbean, Charles will have to navigate calls for him to make a formal apology for Britain's historical wrongs and grapple with swirling discussions regarding reparatory justice. Both issues threaten to overshadow the head royal's visit.
During the transatlantic slave trade, British ships transported more than 3 million enslaved Africans across the Atlantic, according to Britain's Nation Archives.
During the tour, which Sky News branded a "diplomatic danger zone," the king is expected to be met with protests by Caribbean campaigners who are urging him to confront Britain's colonial past and the monarchy's role in the slave trade.
In the past, the king referred to the slave trade as an "appalling atrocity" that "forever stains our history."
“This is the biggest risk of his reign so far, with so much just outside of his control," historian Sir Anthony Seldon told the BBC. "Questions about slavery, reparations and apologies mean the moral integrity of the monarchy is being questioned."
The king and the Commonwealth
The Commonwealth is a political association made up of 56 countries, most of which are former British colonies.
Charles is the head of state in the U.K. and 14 other Commonwealth realms, though several are debating or already taking steps to become a republic, removing the monarch as head of state.
In 2022, Barbados removed then-serving monarch Queen Elizabeth as head of state, a process that took a surprisingly short amount of time because its constitution only required a decision by parliament.
Other countries including Jamaica are weighing removing the monarch, though the process varies by country.
In the twin Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda, newly elected officials now pledge allegiance directly to the state instead of the king. The change to the oath came in May after Gaston Browne was re-elected prime minister.
Browne notes that becoming a republic would be a "natural progression," The Guardianreported.
What happened on Prince William and Princess Kate's Caribbean tour in 2022?
During their royal Caribbean tour in March 2022, Prince William and Princess Kate, then the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, faced anti-monarchy protests and calls for the United Kingdom to pay slavery reparations.
The couple were forced to cancel their first engagement of their tour of Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas, following protests by locals. All countries are Commonwealth nations.
Some locals believed the royal visit was being orchestrated to rouse support for the monarchy and dissuade other nations from following in the footsteps of Barbados, which opted to become a republic in 2021, ending its status as a constitutional monarchy under Queen Elizabeth II.
An image of William and Kate shaking hands with Jamaican children through a wire fence was branded "tone deaf" by people on social media, the Independent reported at the time, while the BBC recently described the moment as "clumsy."
In a meeting between the royals and Jamaican prime minister, Andrew Holness, the nation's leader declared that he wanted to ditch the monarchy to Prince William’s face. The country is in the process of transitioning to a republic by replacing the king with a local president.
King Charles leaves royal drama, damning allegations in Britain
The king's royal tour comes as his son Prince Harry and wife Duchess Meghan remain at the center of a complex storyline unravelling on British soil.
The pair, who returned to the U.K. in August after six years away, are grappling with the aftermath of serious allegations against Meghan's father becoming public knowledge. The Duchess says she was first made aware of "sickening" accusations that her father is a child sex abuser since 2019, which is why she never allowed her children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet to meet him.
Markle, 82, has denied the allegations against him. Authorities in the Philippines, where he was living at the time a stash of child sex abuse images were uncovered, are investigating.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: King Charles kicks off controversial Caribbean tour some call 'biggest risk of his reign'
