King Charles III will not personally receive a petition from Jamaica concerning £7.6 billion in slavery reparations, Buckingham Palace has confirmed. A Jamaican delegation is in London with the formal petition for Buckingham Palace, aiming to lobby the monarch, who is Jamaica's head of state, to present three questions to the Privy Council.
Buckingham Palace stated the King is currently on his annual summer break in Scotland and will not meet the delegation in person. The Jamaican government hopes that answers to its petition, alongside discussions with the Foreign Office, will be steps toward Britain paying reparations. The petition focuses on the historical practice where Britain compensated slave owners, not the enslaved, following the abolition of slavery in 1833. A significant loan taken out by Britain to fund these payments was not fully repaid until 2015.
Jamaican culture minister Olivia Grange stated upon arrival in the UK that Britain was still repaying slave masters as recently as 2015, given that enslaved individuals were considered property. She questioned the rationale for pursuing reparations now, given this historical context, and suggested that while some UK taxpayers might object, many might consider answers to be required. The three questions posed in the petition for the Privy Council are whether the enslavement of Africans in Jamaica was legal under English law, whether it violated international law, and whether Britain has a legal obligation to provide redress.
Ms. Grange indicated that once answers or a response are received, further steps will be determined. The Privy Council, which advises the King on state matters, has a large membership, and its Judicial Committee serves as the highest court of appeal for Commonwealth countries, including Jamaica. The British monarch has the historical authority to refer legal matters to this committee for advisory opinions. However, British governments have consistently maintained they will not pay slavery reparations.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson acknowledged the Jamaican government's intent to petition the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council and explained the formal process involves lodging the petition for consideration of referral under the 1833 Act. The spokesperson also noted that Jamaican representatives are scheduled for bilateral discussions with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. The King has expressed his commitment to fostering greater understanding of slavery's legacy and addressing historical injustices, referencing a speech he made in Samoa in October 2024 where he acknowledged how past harms continue to resonate and emphasized learning from history to address enduring inequalities.
While the petition is formally addressed to the King, his personal influence on whether it is referred to the Judicial Committee is limited, as he acts on government advice. The petition's submission coincides with the anniversary of the Zong massacre in 1781, where 132 enslaved Africans were thrown overboard from a Liverpool-registered ship to claim insurance money. This event contributed to the campaign against slavery, which Britain abolished in the slave trade in 1807 and outlawed enslavement in 1834.
Constitutional law expert Craig Prescott described the move as a strategic use of an obscure constitutional procedure. The right to petition the Crown dates back to 1066, and Jamaica's petition leverages an 1833 law that established the Privy Council's Judicial Committee as the highest court for the British Empire. While Prescott anticipates the petition will be reviewed by a panel of UK Supreme Court justices, he noted that such petitions are typically viewed with skepticism due to their deviation from standard legal processes. He suggested that even a rejection of the petition could strengthen support for Jamaica to sever ties with the British monarchy, a move previously announced by Prime Minister Andrew Holness.
In addition to reparations, Ms. Grange is also meeting with British Museum executives to request the repatriation of three Taino artifacts taken to the UK in 1792. These artifacts, created by the island's indigenous Taino people, were unavailable for a previous exhibition in Jamaica, with replicas being sent instead. Jamaica has expressed a desire to have these artifacts returned.