A JAMAICAN GOVERNMENT delegation visiting Britain is set to file a petition addressed to King Charles raising the question of slavery reparations, Kingston’s culture ministry said.

Culture Minister Olivia Grange will lead the delegation “to advance Jamaica’s push for reparations for the African ancestors who suffered under hundreds of years of enslavement”, the ministry said in a statement.

The petition asks the British monarch, who is Jamaica’s head of state, to refer three questions on the legality of the transatlantic slave trade to the Caribbean island’s highest court of appeal based in London.

The delegation says it is the first time a Commonwealth country has used this legal route to pursue the matter of reparations.

Grange said it was “intended to ensure the long outstanding settlement for the hundreds of years of the most horrific abuse that our African ancestors endured”.

They want an advisory opinion on three questions: whether the enslavement of Africans in Jamaica was legal under English law, whether it broke international law, and whether Britain now has a legal duty to provide redress.

A spokesman for Buckingham Palace said: “We understand the Jamaican government is seeking a petition to be heard before the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council,” referring to the London-based body.

The king has “on many occasions expressed his personal and wholehearted commitment to promoting greater understanding around the issue of slavery and finding ways to address historic wrongs for the benefit of communities today,” the palace added.

Under the UK’s Judicial Committee Act 1833, the monarch has the authority to refer any legal or constitutional matter to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council for an advisory opinion.

Grange will also meet British Museum officials to discuss the return of colonial-era artefacts.

King Charles and his wife Queen Camilla are due to visit the Caribbean later this year as part of a nine-day overseas trip which does not include Jamaica.

Modern British royals have expressed remorse for the brutal slave trade that enriched their ancestors, but have stopped short of a formal apology or any commitment to reparations.

In a 2024 summit in Samoa, Commonwealth countries called on states including the UK to address the legacy of the transatlantic slave trade and open the door for dialogue on compensation.

With reporting from © AFP 2026