SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — King Henry III. Charles arrived in the Bahamas on Tuesday as part of a nine-day trip to the Caribbean, where he faced calls for an apology and slavery reparations.
This is his first official visit to the Bahamas as king, with the archipelago’s government closing all public schools on the island of New Providence to welcome him.
Bahamian police and armed forces strode out to greet Charles; some were wearing helmets.
Charles stepped out in a light gray suit and sunglasses to greet Governor General Dame Cynthia A. Pratt and Prime Minister Philip Davis.
Charles then traveled to Clifford Park, which he last officially visited as Prince of Wales in 1973 to grant the Bahamas its independence after 300 years of British rule.
Members of the Rastafarian community in the Bahamas and others lined a road near Clifford Park in protest demanding compensation. “Pay us your debt!” a woman shouted. “I stand in memory of the horrors and atrocities committed against black people.”
Meanwhile, a cheering crowd was waiting when Charles arrived at the park; Dozens of young students were waving small Bahamian flags ahead of a cultural event where children sang and played music.
“We know today that some of the best things in Bahamian culture, the most joyful, the most hopeful, the brightest, are born out of darkness,” Charles said in his first public address since arriving in the Bahamas. “Even as we rejoice in today’s successes, it is right that we acknowledge the great suffering and injustices of the past on these islands and beyond.”
Jamaica recently took its compensation case to Charles, and the case has since been referred to the UK’s highest court of appeal on the Caribbean island. But the British government has consistently rejected requests for apology or compensation.
While in the Bahamas, Charles is expected to visit a nature area and meet with the Royal Bahamas Defense Force as well as government officials and civil society leaders.
Some in the Bahamas hope his visit will draw attention to the ongoing environmental fight on the island that forms part of the Exuma streams.
Eric Carey, former executive director of the Bahamas National Foundation, said the Save Exuma Alliance is fighting a development on Sampson Cay that he called “ill-advised” and “out of scale.” The development would require a “massive” seawall and dredging of seagrass and coral reefs, he said.
“This is not anti-development; our country is a tourism-based economy,” Carey said in a telephone interview. “Our point is that there are larger islands where larger-scale developments can be built more effectively and efficiently.”
The case is currently in the hands of the Supreme Court of the Bahamas, but Carey said she hopes Charles will raise awareness of the issue.
“King Charles has a long history of advocating for the environment and speaking out about climate change,” Carey said. “He is visiting one of the most vulnerable parts of the world.”
In his speech at Clifford Park, Charles acknowledged the climate challenges facing the Bahamas and other nations.
“We cannot escape the fact that the journey ahead will involve dangerous shoals, especially in an island nation where 90% of the land is under two metres,” Charles said. “There may be no better place to understand the reality of climate change than the Bahamas.”
Charles is scheduled to spend three days in the Bahamas and then fly to the South American country Guyana on October 29. He will spend two days here in the former British colony, whose president has said he wants an apology.
Charles is then scheduled to fly to Antigua and Barbuda on October 30 for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, which Queen Camilla will attend. The talks are expected to focus on climate, trade and development, but some Caribbean leaders have said slavery reparations should dominate the talks.