In a Commonwealth address, Prince Charles expresses his grief for slavery

• KIGALI: In an address to Commonwealth leaders in Rwanda on Friday, Britain’s Prince Charles expressed great grief over slavery.
• He also admitted that the organization’s roots lie in a terrible time of history, alluding to the slave trade and colonialism.

The Commonwealth, a club of 54 countries, the most of which were former British colonies, represents roughly one-third of mankind and promotes itself as a network of equal partners with common aims such as democracy, peace, and prosperity.

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“While we strive together for peace, prosperity and democracy, I want to acknowledge that the roots of our contemporary association run deep into the most painful period of our history,” Charles told assembled Commonwealth leaders at the opening ceremony of a two-day summit in Kigali.

“I cannot describe the depths of my personal sorrow at the suffering of so many as I continue to deepen my own understanding of slavery’s enduring impact.”

The Commonwealth, which is rooted in the British Empire, has not traditionally faced openly with the legacy of colonialism or slavery, but there have been rising requests for it to do so, particularly from Caribbean member nations.

“If we are to forge a common future that benefits all our citizens, we too must find new ways to acknowledge our past. Quite simply, this is a conversation whose time has come,” Charles said.

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He went there to represent his mother, Queen Elizabeth, who has been the Commonwealth’s leader since her reign started in 1952. According to a resolution taken by Commonwealth leaders in 2018, the baton would be passed to him, which several Caribbean governments are currently opposing.

In his address, Charles also acknowledged rising republican sentiment in several of the 15 Commonwealth countries where the monarch is now the head of state. The United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, Belize, the Bahamas, and Papua New Guinea are among them.