King visits Guyanan slave rebellion site on Caribbean tour

The King has made a poignant visit to the site where a Guyanese slave rebellion was violently resisted by British authorities, making the stop during his tour of the Caribbean.

He visited Independence Park in Georgetown to remember the Demerera Slave Rebellion of 1823, which saw an uprising by thousands of enslaved people.

Accompanied by Guyana’s Culture Minister, Steven Jacobs, he was told how hundreds of slaves were killed by colonial leaders during the rebellion and many of those who survived were executed close to where the King stood.

Above the King was a sign that he took time to read.

“This ground was used as a public execution site,” it said, “where enslaved persons…were condemned to death and hung.”

The moment of reflection was what Buckingham Palace had described as the King “not shying away from the UK’s colonial legacy” and described today as a chance for the King to reflect on Guyana’s history of slavery and resistance.

In 2022, Charles described how he was on a personal journey of discovery and was continuing to “deepen my own understanding of slavery’s enduring impact”, in a speech at the opening of a Commonwealth summit hosted by Rwanda.

Independence Park, which is now a sports ground, drew a crowd of dozens of schoolchildren. The King stopped to talk to many of them asking them about their homework, their holidays and if they’d had a day off school.