Britain's King Charles signals support for research into Royal Family slavery ties

An independent study is underway exploring the ties between the British monarchy and the slave trade, Buckingham Palace said on Thursday.

King Charles for the first time signalled publicly his support for research into the British monarchy’s historical links with transatlantic slavery, one of the darkest chapters of history.

The research is being carried out by the University of Manchester with Historic Royal Palaces and Buckingham Palace is granting researchers full access to the Royal Archives and the Royal Collection, according to media reports.

The study, a PhD project by historian Camilla de Koning, is expected to be completed in 2026.

According to reports, citing a Buckingham Palace spokesperson, Charles takes this issue "profoundly seriously."

"Given the complexities of the issues it is important to explore them as thoroughly as possible," added the spokesperson.

The move came after The Guardian published a previously unseen document showing the 1689 transfer of £1,000 of shares in the slave-trading Royal African Company to King William III, from Edward Colston, the company’s deputy governor.

The transatlantic slave trade lasted for more than 400 years and victimized more than 15 million Black men, women and children.

Beginning in the 15th century, the slave trade was in place until the Slave Trade Act 1807, also known as the Act for the Abolition of the Slave Trade in the British Empire. But slavery in the colonies continued for years even after the act.

Since England's government and the monarchy had been involved in the creation of the transatlantic slave trade for centuries, Britain's Royal Family has been widely accused of taking part in it and has been called by many to make an official apology.

During his visit to the Caribbean in 2022 with his wife Kate, Prince William expressed "profound sorrow" about the horrors of the slave trade which sparked anger because many said it "fails to apologize."