King calls slave trade a 'shameful chapter' during Commonwealth address

King calls slave trade a'shameful chapter' during Commonwealth address To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Figure caption, Watch: King says slave trade a'shameful chapter' that'fills my heart with horror' King Charles has described the transatlantic slave trade as a shameful chapter of history that filled him with profound sorrow as he opened a summit of Commonwealth leaders in the Caribbean. He said the trade in enslaved persons still casts a shadow over the association of nations. There has been calls from some for the UK to make a formal apology for its historic role in the slave trade ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm) in Antigua and Barbuda, but there was not one in the King's address. Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who is also at the summit, has previously said he is open to Britain issuing a formal apology but that financial reparations were not the right answer.