King Charles III says while the transatlantic trade in enslaved persons “fills his heart with horror”, people can learn from the past, as he expressed “profound sorrow” over the dark period in history.

His address at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua & Barbuda today fell short of an apology for slavery — although Andy Burnham, the British prime minister, also to attend the gathering, has announced talks with Commonwealth leaders on a potential formal apology for Britain’s role.

The King told attendees that the more he deepens his understanding of the issues, “the more committed I have become to finding ways for us to work in modern partnership to address the wrongs of the past with action for the future”.

The monarch told Commonwealth leaders: “None of us, of course, would be here today were it not for our history, which has shaped us in myriad ways. History is not ours to choose or to change.

“It is bequeathed to us in complex synthesis by forebears we can never know. Our inheritance includes both their achievements and their failures — the good they did as well as the wrongs.

“History can be hard to compass, viewed as it is through the prism of time, which can be both clarifying and distorting, and yet its consequences resonate with contemporary force.

“Our history inspires us, can appal us, yet it can always teach us. We cannot change the actions of those who came before us. We can, however, learn from the past.”

He said slavery still casts a shadow over the Caribbean islands and other members of the Commonwealth.

The monarch said: “As I have said before, that shameful chapter of history is one that fills my heart with horror and my soul with the most profound personal sorrow.

“And yet history also teaches us that evil need not have the last word; that character and courage can combine to overcome the most monstrous injustice, as they did with the determination to end international trade in enslaved people, in which the Royal Navy played such a leading role.”

According to a report in The Guardian, the King’s address in St John’s comes against a backdrop of intensified demands for an apology and reparations from Britain.

It said reparations are not formally on the agenda of the Commonwealth meeting, where trade, climate resilience and finance, sustainable debt, democracy and opportunities for young people were among the stated priorities of the 56-member bloc.

However, the report stated that sustained campaigning by Caribbean governments and a growing international reparations movement have propelled the issue to the centre of political debate surrounding the gathering.

Gaston Browne, the Prime Minister of Antigua & Barbuda, said “fairness” required an “honest engagement with our shared history”.

Mr Browne called for meaningful and respectful dialogue on reparatory justice and the enduring consequences of slavery and colonialism.

The report mentioned Philip J Pierre, the Prime Minister of St Lucia and chairman of Caricom, who described an apology as an “essential first step” but said an “apology without repair is incomplete”.

During a visit to Bermuda last month, Uma Kumaran, the British Minister of State, said Britain has ruled out reparations for Bermuda over the atrocities of slavery.

Ms Kumaran, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Overseas Territories, said: “We are really clear on that; our position or the UK Government’s position is that it doesn't pay reparations.

“But we are acutely aware of the very painful history and we acknowledge that.”

She predicted the issue being topical at the Commonwealth heads meeting.

Citizens Uprooting Racism in Bermuda, a charity dedicated to tackling racism, said it was “deeply disappointed” by Ms Kumaran’s comments and called for discussions on the subject to “move beyond sorrow”.

Although Ms Kumaran said Britain was aware of the “painful history” of slavery, the charity said awareness did not amount to justice.