Buckingham Palace denies being blindsided by Andy Burnham's slavery apology 'openness'

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Nov 5, 2026 - 22:01

Buckingham Palace denies being blindsided by Andy Burnham's slavery apology 'openness'

Buckingham Palace has denied being blindsided by Andy Burnham's op-ed in the Guardian at the weekend, in which the Prime Minister stated he was "open" to Britain formally apologising for its role in the transatlantic slave trade.

Mr Burnham went further this week during the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting (CHOGM) in Antigua, hinting at further money being invested in former British colonies as he sat down for discussions with Caribbean leaders. Speaking to the media, the Prime Minister said "it benefits Britain to be here listening to people building that new partnership and that's good for growth in Britain".

The King, meanwhile, walked a delicate diplomatic tightrope this week, expressing "sorrow" for historic slavery in a speech to Commonwealth leaders but stopping short of an official apology. GB News understands Downing Street told the Palace in advance about the Prime Minister's article in the Guardian.

A senior palace aide has told the People's Channel: "We were told in a timely manner by the Prime Minister. I talked to the Prime Minister myself. We were told the terms in which he was proposing to write his his op-ed, and he's perfectly entitled to do that. He is the head of the elected government; he's not the head of state, but he is the head of government. Now, that's how our democracy functions. If that's what elected politicians want to do, it's not for us to get in the way."

His Majesty was flying from Guyana to Antigua when the news of Andy Burnham's op-ed was made public, but it is understood no alterations were made to His Majesty's CHOGM address as a result. Palace sources hinted King Charles and Andy Burnham have struck up a good working relationship since the latest Prime Minister has taken office.

The senior aide said: "The King very quickly finds a way to establish a good working relationship with the sitting prime minister, so they get on very well. I see them together every week, and it genuinely is a good relationship, but as it is with all the prime ministers and all the ex-prime ministers as well, with almost every single one of them, you can find something that they really care about, that the king really cares about. I remember when Andy Burnham first came in, I don't know what he said to the King but he was talking to me about the importance he attaches to finding opportunity for young people, which is one of the things he has in common with the King."

Meanwhile, a number of Caribbean leaders are thought to be disappointed King Charles did not officially apologise for slavery on behalf of the British state, but Royal sources have pointed out it is up to the government to decide - despite the Royal Family's personal historic links to the slave trade. Research from the National Archives and other sources has found individual monarchs received direct payments or revenue from slave-labour estates, and other members of the Royal Family indirectly profited.

Asked whether the King would one day apologise on behalf of his ancestors, a senior Palace aide told Britain's News Channel: "The King is the crown, the crown is the state, the state is run by an elected government, so we have to see how this whole situation plays through."

In 2023, the Dutch King Willem-Alexander formally apologised for the Netherlands' historical role in slavery; however, the British constitution is understood to operate differently – meaning King Charles cannot take a side on an issue that has become party political. Both the Conservatives and Reform UK have firmly rejected the idea of Britain apologising for historical slavery, whereas Labour is "open" to the idea.

A number of Caribbean realms, including Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, and the Bahamas, have expressed a desire to cut ties with the British monarchy and become republics. Buckingham Palace is not expected to block any attempt to do so, suggesting it is up to individual countries.

A senior aide said: "The King and the Royal Family are there to serve the people of these regions for as long as they wish. But if they don't wish it anymore, then we really are fully open to that. The family serves when it’s wanted and if not, then a new arrangement can be found.”

In 2021, Barbados became the latest country to replace the British monarch with a President. The then-Prince Charles, now King, attended the handover ceremony.

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"I was in very close touch with the Bajan Prime Minister as that was going ahead," a senior aide to King Charles has told Britain's News Channel. "We agreed how we would do it. It would be done without rancour. Barbados wanted to recommit itself to the Commonwealth. We said, 'Look, if you basically want to change the name of the Governor General to President, which is, if you think about it, is perhaps the most visible difference that it makes on the ground in these countries, then we've got absolutely no difficulty with that.'

"And you'll have seen that the King was delighted to go along to the to the events which marked Barbados' transition into a into a republic; it's also just worth remembering that there's actually nothing unusual in this. Seventeen countries transitioned from being realms to republics in the reign of the late Queen. So there is nothing unusual about it. It's really all a matter of what countries want to do."

Despite republican rumblings from the Commonwealth , the British government is thought to be increasingly using King Charles as their "secret weapon", deploying him into politically difficult situations where controversies threaten to overshadow the visit. A senior Palace aide told GB News: "We're just in the fifth year of the reign. I think what we're seeing is very clear pattern emerging of the government asking the king to head into quite politically charged situations, quite challenging situations.

"I would say, in the round, this [Caribbean tour] has been a complex visit. It's been challenging. It's been exhausting. It's been a hot tour across nine days, across three countries...But the takeaway, I think, in the round, is that it's been very successful, and I think the King has demonstrated his statecraft both by word and deed. It’s a great secret weapon to send the king."

King Charles is "able to reach the parts that dare I say politicians probably couldn't quite have reached". During the Caribbean tour, the monarch was exposed to intense heat, a torrential downpour, and more than thirty engagements in nine days.

The King appeared very frustrated with a close protection officer, who didn't get an umbrella to him intime before he became drenched at a cricket stadium in Antigua. Reacting to the incident, a senior palace aide told GB News: "You know sometimes things don't work entirely according to plan, but it was very quickly resolved, and as we saw, he was laughing. I was lucky enough to be sitting up, sitting up with the Queen, not getting wet. She came back up, as had always been the plan, and she looked round at me, and she just burst into sort of fits of laughter, saying, 'I don't think I've ever been so wet in my life.'

"And then the King, when we got back, was laughing about the watercress comment again, saying, 'I think that might be the last you see of that suit,' but he thought it was genuinely funny. But what you know, he's a man who does his job properly. He's a man who understands the importance of ceremony, who understands the importance of ritual, and he will have wanted that to be disrupted for the shortest possible time because of this rather sudden, rather unexpected, rather extreme downpour."

The King joked to the Antiguan Prime Minister he could now grow watercress on his trousers; they were so wet. His Majesty turns 78 next Saturday and is continuing cancer treatment.

The aide said: "I think probably the best response to that is a picture of a man about to turn 78 wangling the cowbells as he jives down the street in nearly 40-degree heat."

King Charles spontaneously joined in a traditional Junkanoo carnival in the Bahamas, dancing down the street with the performers.

The aide said: "When the engagement finished, I get in the car next to him and say ‘Crikey, I'm hot.' He says, 'Oh, never mind.' So no, he copes. I mean, frankly, he copes better with it than I do, and I'm younger than him. This is literally what he was born to do, he's very good at it, and he enjoys the reaction he gets from people in the doing of it."

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