King Charles and Camilla meet military veterans in Kenya

Four in 10 think the royals should apologise for the slave trade and more than a third want them to pay reparations, according to a new poll.

The King has faced calls to apologise for colonial abuses during his four-day tour of Kenya with Queen Camilla.

During a royal engagement, the King spoke of Britain’s “abhorrent and unjustifiable acts of violence” committed against Kenyans during their fight for independence.

However, he stopped short of an apology despite human rights groups continuing demand for one.

Kenya’s president, William Ruto, praised the king’s “exemplary courage” in shedding light on “uncomfortable truths”, he described the colonial reaction to African struggles as “monstrous in its cruelty”.

He added that, despite the King’s comments, “much remains to be done in order to achieve full reparations”.

Now, a poll of 2,020 adults has found that 42 percent are in favour of a public apology, with 27 percent undecided and just 26 percent against.

There was slightly less support for paying reparations, with 37 percent in favour, 24 percent undecided and 31 percent opposed.

A resounding 67 percent believe any reparations should be paid by the monarchy itself, with just seven percent thinking the British taxpayer should foot the bill.

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More than a quarter (26 percent) felt reparations should be paid to the nations from which the slaves were taken from, while 16 percent called for payment to the descendants of enslaved individuals (16 percent).

However, few people think the Crown will take the historic step of paying reparations.

Only 15 percent reckon it will ever happen, while an overwhelming 72 percent said it wasn’t likely.

On attitudes towards the Royal Family more broadly, 41 percent said they were royalists, while 46 percent said they were not.

A spokesperson for OnePoll, which commissioned the research, said: “Britain’s historical links with slavery are a point of contention.

“While evidence has been presented of royal involvement when it comes to slavery, how any reparations would be paid remains to be seen.

“Undoubtedly while time has past, the wounds of slavery are still apparent and its impact is still felt around the world today.”

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