As the Commonwealth’s leader, this is his first meeting with its leaders.
Although a “common future” is the subject of this year’s gathering in Samoa, the Commonwealth is becoming more divided.
An existential crisis among the so-called family of nations is still threatened by the subject of reparations for the slave trade.
The monarch stated that he realized that “the most painful aspects of our past resonate, it is vital we understand our history to guide us to make the right choices in our future” .
Additionally, he stated: “While none of us can undo the wrongs of the past, we can dedicate ourselves fully to understanding its lessons and identifying it.
Many African and Caribbean nations will not have been sufficiently impacted by his remarks.
They want nations that participated in slavery to formally apologize.
“No reparations, no trade should be the new motto of countries that seek reparations,” stated Eric Phillips, a prominent campaigner from Caricom, the organization that represents Caribbean nations.
