WELLINGTON, New Zealand, Oct 26, (AP): King Charles III told a summit of Commonwealth countries in Samoa on Friday that the past could not be changed as he indirectly acknowledged calls from some of Britain’s former colonies for a reckoning over its role in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The British monarch told leaders in Apia that he understood "the most painful aspects of our past continue to resonate."

But Charles stopped short of mentioning financial reparations that some leaders at the event have urged, and instead exhorted them to find the "right language” and an understanding of history "to guide us towards making the right choices in future where inequality exists." "None of us can change the past but we can commit with all our hearts to learning its lessons and to finding creative ways to right the inequalities that endure," said Charles, who is attending his first Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, or CHOGM, as Britain's head of state.

His remarks at the summit's opening ceremony were an acknowledgement of the strength of feeling on the issue in countries that Britain once colonized. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also struck an emollient tone, after earlier insisting that the meeting should avoid becoming mired in the past and "very, very long endless discussions about reparations.” Starmer said at the summit that it was important to acknowledge a "hard” shared history, and that he understood the "strength of feeling here and that there are some calls to face up to the harms and injustices of the past through reparatory justice.”

Flanked by leaders from Uganda and Tanzania, Starmer said he wanted to work "together to make sure the future is not in the shadow of the past," and promised to host a UK-Caribbean forum next year with leaders of the nations most impacted by slavery’s legacy. Britain's handling of its involvement in the trans-Atlantic slave trade is seen by many observers as a litmus test for the Commonwealth's adaptation to a modern-day world. Other European nations and some British institutions have started to own up to their role in the trade.