The King and Queen confronted Britain’s colonial past in Antigua and Barbuda today as they toured a museum containing items relating to slavery.
At Government House Museum, Charles peered into a display case that contained ceramic Wedgwood medallions depicting slaves, which were made in support of abolition, and a silk parasol used to protect against the sun.
Walking over to the display, Charles pointed and asked: "Is that an umbrella?" The case also contained shackles and a conch shell used by enslaved people to call meetings and summon them to work.
© Getty ImagesThe King and Queen were shown exhibits explaining the history of slavery in Antigua and Barbuda – including the Declaration of Emancipation from 30 June 1834. In the rooms at Government House Museum displays on the wall told the stories of "Sugar and Slavery", "Emancipation", "March Towards Freedom", and stories of enslaved people on sugar plantations.
Charles also stood by a wall display showing the cross-section of a slave ship that carried enslaves people from Africa to the Caribbean. He also saw a Warri board – a game taken by slaves from Africa and believed to be the world’s oldest board game - in the museum. "At least it keeps going," he said.
Charles earlier nodded in acknowledgement while he was shown a series of three paintings by a local artist and told it depicted slaves plotting to escape before being captured and put before their masters. Cuthbert Forbes, senior assistant to Dame Sandra Williams the wife of the Governor-General Sir Rodney Williams, showed the King and Queen the series of three paintings showing slaves plotting an escape before being caught.
The exhibition included artwork by local artists who had the help of two tutors from the Royal Drawing School for six weeks.
He said afterwards of the paintings he showed the King: "This is a story of plotting that whole plan and trying to execute it, brought back.
"Being caught and being brought before their master."
© Getty ImagesHe added: "It’s not about confronting them with slavery.
"But by including that we have a bit of our history that remains with us, where we are coming from. It’s our 45th anniversary of independence.
"Telling that story for us as Black Caribbean people this story of how far we have come and battles we have fought.
"We are standing on the precipice and welcome the Head of State even though we are independent we have that link. And we want to tell that story."
Before the trip, Buckingham Palace said the King would not "shy away" from the "darkest days of our past". His speech at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) on Tuesday has been billed as being "unflinchingly honest".
© Getty ImagesAs they left, the King and Queen walked past former slave quarters where emancipated people who worked at Governor’s House lived, believed to be the oldest of their kind in the East Caribbean.
The King and Queen were taken on their tour of the slavery artefacts in the newly renovated museum at Government House by Dr Reg Murphy, Secretary General National Commission UNESCO Antigua and Barbuda. He said afterwards: "I want them (the King and Queen) to take away that this is a new developing country, it’s a forward looking nation, and we shouldn’t be dragging the anchors of our past.
"We have one history and one past. It is all about moving forwards."
He added: "I’m against reparations, it’s something discussed by politicians attracted to money."
Dr Gabriella Howell, Director of Historical Preservation at Government House and Curator of the Museum, also showed the royal couple around the display. She said: "The visit is about understanding the changes in power throughout the history of Antigua and Barbuda."
Charles and Camilla were earlier welcomed to Government House by Governor-General Sir Rodney Williams and his wife Dame Sandra. All four then joined a Community Reception to celebrate charitable organisations, uniformed youth groups and education initiatives in Antigua and Barbuda.
© POOL/AFP via Getty ImagesThe King and Queen also viewed a cooking demonstration by chef Nigel Joseph - who prepared the traditional Antiguan dish of fungee and pepper pot.
The Queen toured stands relating to literacy and and met young brownies and girl guides taking part in a film workshop. “Do any of you watch Harry Potter?” She asked. “That’s good, isn’t it?"
She also stopped to chat to players of the traditional board game of Warri, which was historically brought from Africa.
"Who is going to beat who?" She asked. Told it wasn’t decided yet, she added: "May the best man win."
Explaining the game of Warri, Trevor Simon, 70, a local Warri Grandmaster, said: "The game was brought over by African descendants; it’s a traditional mathematical board game."
The Queen then moved on to speak to girl guides and three charities, including Friends of the Care Project, which looks after children and adults with autism and other disabilities.
© Getty ImagesAiden Parks-Reed, 10, who has hydrocephalus, swept an arm across his body as he welcomed the royal couple, saying: “Good morning your Majesties.”
The King and Queen also unveiled a plaque at the main entrance of Government House to commemorate its restoration. Work began in 2017 and finished this year.
At a new pavilion, alumni of The King’s Foundation and students from the College of Advanced Education spoke about conservation and training work at St John’s Cathedral, St John’s Police Station, Government House and the Heritage Trail. The King met eight graduates of the King’s Foundation building craft programme.
After returning from their eight-week stay in the UK, where they trained at both Highgrove and Dumfries House, they have built a traditional wooden pavilion for visitors to Government House to wait in. Constructed from sustainably sourced Greenheart wood from Guyana, it was built using traditional methods.
Kyla Weaver, one of the participants, said: "We were lucky enough to be part of the first cohort to go to Scotland with the King’s Foundation. We feel gratitude for the opportunity and for the immense hospitality from [the King’s] staff and his team.
"We took the opportunity and took it to heart and came back and build something as a reminder to our community that we build with concrete now, but this is what we used to do. We want to promote sustainability in construction."
Finally, the King and Queen were bid farewell by members of the public who lined up to shake hands.
