The growing tensions between Palace and No 10 over slavery row, according to insiders

Detailed summary

This shouldn’t have caught Buckingham Palace by surprise. Prince William faced protests over the issue when he visited Jamaica in 2022, and it dominated the last meeting of the…

A trip to a sunny Commonwealth nation for the King once spelled no more controversy than donning local costume accessories and taking part in a traditional dance, delivering a warm, set-piece speech with lots of smiles.

Those days are gone. When Charles went to Antigua, not only did he get rained on physically – much to his chagrin – but he was also embroiled in a row over the dark history of slavery – and whether the UK owes an apology, and reparations, for its role in that “monstrous injustice”.

This shouldn’t have caught Buckingham Palace by surprise. Prince William faced protests over the issue when he visited Jamaica in 2022, and it dominated the last meeting of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm) in Samoa in 2024.

What might have caught the Palace off guard this time, however, was an unexpected intervention by Andy Burnham ratcheting up the news agenda.

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