Why King Charles apologised to Bermuda after 400 years: ‘I’m terribly sorry’

After a four-day visit to the United States, King Charles III spent a day in the British island territory of Bermuda on Friday.

During the visit, British overseas territory welcomed the king, not accompanied by Queen Camilla, with a boat trip and a cake-cutting event at an aquarium.

The King also visited a display at the National Museum of Bermuda documenting the transatlantic slave trade, exhibiting artifacts such as images of shackled individuals and neck irons.

He also watched a performance of the Gombey dance, a tradition that blends African, Caribbean, Native American, and British influences.

The visit also included a 21-gun salute, a marching band, and a military procession through the former capital, St. George. As sovereign, the King inspected the Royal Bermuda Regiment of the British Army.

After these activities and many others, King attended a garden party on Friday evening and said to guests during the reception, “I am told to my amazement it is also the first time in Bermuda’s 400-year history that the islands have received a reigning King.”

“I am terribly sorry it has taken so long!”

Raising a toast to Bermuda at the garden party, the King said, “I need hardly say that Bermuda, like all the Overseas Territories, is a most cherished and important member of the British family – with a friendship as solid as this so-called ‘Rock’.”

With this historic visit, King Charles became the first reigning monarch to visit Bermuda.

On the last day in Bermuda, King Charles will officially launch the UK Space Agency’s Project Nova.

His Majesty will also open the new Great Bay Coast Guard Station and he will receive briefing on the Royal Bermuda Regiment’s Coast Guard’s essential efforts to safeguard the island’s territorial waters.