King pauses at Guyana’s Demerara Slave Rebellion site during Caribbean tour

The King visited Independence Park in Georgetown as part of his Caribbean itinerary, stopping at the ground where the 1823 Demerara Slave Rebellion was violently suppressed.

Accompanied by Guyana’s Culture Minister Steven Jacobs, the monarch was briefed on the rebellion’s scale, including the killing of hundreds of enslaved people and the execution of many survivors near the spot where he stood.

Above the King hung a sign that read, This ground was used as a public execution site, where enslaved persons…were condemned to death and hung. He took a moment to read the inscription.

Buckingham Palace described the stop as the King “not shying away from the UK's colonial legacy,” framing it as an opportunity to reflect on Guyana’s history of slavery and resistance.

In 2022, the King said he was on a “personal journey of discovery” and was working to “deepen my own understanding of slavery’s enduring impact” during a Commonwealth summit in Rwanda.

Independence Park, now a sports ground, hosted dozens of schoolchildren. The King chatted with several, asking about their homework, holidays and whether they had a day off school.

Later, a small but vocal group of protesters gathered outside another royal engagement. Placards read “no apology will return what was stolen, reparations now” and “justice must not depend on wealth status and connections.”

Guyanese politician Terrence Campbell told the crowd, This great wealth was built on the backs of slavery. I do not want the British public to think that by me saying reparations can take various forms, it means that they do not have responsibility for reparations. They do, because the United Kingdom benefited tremendously from slavery.

The UK government’s position, reiterated during the visit, is that the King will not apologise for Britain’s role in the slave trade nor offer reparations to former colonies.