Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Oct 06, 2025

Prince William expresses 'profound sorrow' over slavery in Jamaica speech

Prince William expresses 'profound sorrow' over slavery in Jamaica speech

The Duke of Cambridge condemns the slave trade, saying it "forever stains" the UK's history, but offer no reparations for the fortune he himself enjoy from the slavery business.

The Duke of Cambridge has spoken of his "profound sorrow" over slavery during a speech at a dinner in Jamaica.

Prince William said slavery was abhorrent, "should never have happened" and "forever stains our history".

Earlier, the island's prime minister, Andrew Holness, told the future king his country planned to pursue its goals as an independent country.

On the fifth day of their Caribbean tour the duke and duchess also visited a hospital and school.

Speaking at a dinner hosted by the Governor General of Jamaica, Prince William praised the spirit of the island that "makes it so special" as well as addressing the UK's role in slavery.

"While the pain runs deep, Jamaica continues to forge its future with determination, courage and fortitude," he said.

The prince added the Queen had a deep affection for the country and said he had been touched to hear from Jamaicans about their affection for his grandmother in her Platinum Jubilee year.


"Sorrow" is not "sorry". Some will be disappointed about that. But "sorry" would have been a different order of magnitude, carrying with it acceptance of responsibility and opening up the question of financial compensation.

Hardly surprising then that Prince William didn't go that far. That would be a job for government, not royalty.

When I spoke to Jamaicans earlier in the evening in Emancipation Park in Kingston there was a lot of thought about slavery, but little in the way of anger.

There was talk of pain, but also an acknowledgment that this generation of Jamaicans is a long way from the generations exploited by plantation owners during colonial rule. It was those who suffered then that deserved an apology, one young woman said.

This has been a particularly political part of the Caribbean tour. With his speech, William tried to deal with some of the issues about Britain's past in Jamaica.

But the prime minister has raised a big question about the future of the Royal Family in a truly independent Jamaica.

There have been calls in Jamaica to drop the Queen as head of state and the royal visit has seen demonstrations urging the monarchy to pay reparations for the slave trade.

Mr Holness, who campaigned on a platform of making Jamaica a republic, told the duke there were "unresolved" issues but said that the royals' presence gave an opportunity for those to be addressed.

He said Jamaica was "moving on" and added: "We intend to attain in short order our development goals and fulfil our true ambitions and destiny as an independent, developed, prosperous country."

Jamaica's Prime Minister Andrew Holness (left) earlier told the Duke of Cambridge there were "unresolved" issues

The royal couple visited a hospital in Spanish City during their tour

The Duchess of Cambridge spoke with pupils at Shortwood Teachers' College in Kingston


Last year, Barbados officially removed the Queen as its head of state in a ceremony attended by the Prince of Wales.

In a speech to mark the occasion Prince Charles acknowledged the "appalling atrocity of slavery", something his son referenced during his own address in Jamaica.

Earlier on Wednesday, the duke was joined by his wife, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, for a visit to Spanish Town Hospital and Shortwood Teachers' College where they met staff and students.

At the hospital the duke revealed both he and his wife had received three Covid vaccines and described staff as "total heroes" as he asked them to look after their mental health.

They also visited the Caribbean Military Technical Training Institute, near Montego Bay, where the duchess forced her husband off the road as he tested his skills in a driving simulator.

In his speech the duke said the couple wished they had more time to spend in Jamaica and said they hoped to come back with their children.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
×