King Charles facing 'biggest risk of his reign'

King Charles has undertaken over 100 foreign trips and overseas tours, spanning his time as Duke of Cornwall, Prince of Wales, and finally as the reigning monarch.

But his visit to the Caribbean next week is proving especially contentious.

On Tuesday, Charles and Queen Camilla will begin their tour, which will see them travel to three countries in nine days: the Bahamas, Guyana and finally Antigua and Barbuda for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

The tour - planned for 27 October to 4 November - will "celebrate the communities, cultures and nature within the Commonwealth family," Buckingham Palace said.

However, it will also throw the King into the centre of a fierce ongoing debate about the payment of reparations - compensation from countries that took part in the slave trade.

Calls for King Charles to apologise

There have been calls for Charles to apologise for the UK's role in what he has previously called an "appalling atrocity" that has left an "indelible stain" on history.

Author and historian Sir Anthony Seldon told the BBC: "This is the biggest risk of his reign so far with so much just outside of his control.

"Questions about slavery, reparations and apologies mean the moral integrity of the monarchy is being questioned."

King Charles will make three speeches over the course of the tour. In line with government advice, however, he is not expected to issue an official apology for Britain's role in the transatlantic slave trade. 

A senior royal aide told the BBC that the King would "not shy away from the darkest days of our past" but stressed that any decisions over issuing apologies and reparations were matters for the government. 

Prime Minister Andy Burnham's administration - like those before it - will not pay reparations.

Buckingham Palace said that acknowledging the wrongs of the past will be built into the King's programme in all three countries.

Charles's comments when Queen Elizabeth was removed as Head of State

Next week's tour marks the first time the King has visited the Caribbean since 2021, when he travelled to Barbados to see the country officially remove Queen Elizabeth as its head of state and become a republic.

The monarch, who was the Prince of Wales at the time, acknowledged the "appalling atrocity of slavery" the Caribbean island suffered in his speech at the time.

He also visited Antigua and Barbuda in 2017 following the widespread devastation caused by Hurricanes Irma and Maria, and paid official visits to Guyana in 2000 and the Bahamas in 1973.

King Charles breaks 500-year-old royal tradition

It follows the news that King Charles has approved a special honorary title to be bestowed on Pope Leo XIV. 

The Pontiff, who is head of the Catholic Church, has accepted an honorary title reflecting a "shared desire for Christian unity" between him and the King, Buckingham Palace said on Friday.

A statement read: "With the gracious approval of His Majesty The King, The Dean and Canons of Windsor are delighted to announce that His Holiness Pope Leo XIV has become Papal Confrater of the College of St George at St George’s Chapel, Windsor."

In addition, two specially commissioned chairs have been created. The chair presented to the King sits next to the monastic stalls in St Paul’s Outside the Walls, and a corresponding chair for the Pope will be unveiled at St George’s Chapel in Windsor in due course.

Buckingham Palace said: "This act of confraternity represents a visible sign of spiritual fellowship, ecumenical friendship and Christian fraternity.

"It recognises both the centuries-old relationship between the College and Chapel of St George, Windsor and the Holy See, and the progress in relations between the Roman Catholic Church, the Church of England and the Anglican Communion.

"It also reflects the deep mutual esteem between His Holiness and His Majesty and their shared desire for Christian unity."

It's the first time such titles have been exchanged between the two churches in around 500 years.

St George's Chapel was built between 1475 and 1528 and is one of the royal family's most significant religious sites. It has been the scene of many royal marriages and hosted Princess Eugenie's wedding, and that of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, in 2018.

King Charles's close relationship with the Pope

Charles and Queen Camilla met the Pope on this day last year during a state visit to the Vatican.

On that trip, the King was welcomed as Royal Confrater of the Papal Basilica and Abbey of St Paul’s Outside the Walls.

Charles and Leo made history in 2025 when they prayed together in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel in a symbolic moment of unity for Anglicans and Roman Catholics across the globe.

It was the first time a British monarch, the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, had prayed at a public service with the Pope, head of the Catholic Church, since the Reformation.

Charles and Camilla previously visited the Vatican in April 2025, meeting Pope Francis.

The King attends church most Sundays, and is often pictured walking to Crathie Kirk near Balmoral Castle in Scotland.