Charles III called slavery a shameful chapter that fills him with horror: no apology, and London won't even discuss reparations

King Charles III stood before the leaders of the Commonwealth's 56 countries at the CHOGM summit in Antigua and Barbuda and spoke the sentence the Caribbean had waited decades to hear: the transatlantic slave trade is a shameful chapter which, as he put it, fills him with horror and deep personal sorrow. Strong words. Except the word most people were waiting for - "sorry" - was never said.

Before the speech the Palace had signalled that the King would not skirt around the most shameful parts of the past. And he didn't skirt around them - he described them. But describing is one thing, taking responsibility is another. In the British system that step isn't taken by the King on his own but by the government, and the government drew its line in advance.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he is "ready" to consider an apology and offered talks on an apology for slavery - but not on financial reparations. In other words: the words are negotiable, the money isn't. A familiar model: a great power admits guilt on paper and keeps its purse firmly shut.

Outside the hall, a small protest gathered demanding an apology and reparations. Inside, the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne - one of the loudest advocates of reparations for slavery - warmly greeted the King after his speech. Diplomacy in two pictures: demands for reparations outside, a warm welcome inside.

Charles didn't only talk about the past. The speech covered trust between nations, conflicts, technology, climate change and the decline of nature, with the message that Commonwealth countries can learn from the past and build the future together. The classic royal repertoire: broad, dignified, and without a single commitment that would cost anything.

The tour had earlier taken him on state visits to the Bahamas and Guyana, and Queen Camilla joined him in Antigua. The last leg was supposed to be the hardest - and the King got through it with a speech the media are already calling historic. The question is whether the Caribbean will settle for a historic speech when what it wants is measured in money and an official "sorry".