King Charles kicked off a tour of the Caribbean amid growing calls for an apology and reparations for Britain's role in the trans-Atlantic slave trade.

Oct. 28 (UPI) -- King Charles kicked off a tour of the Caribbean amid growing calls for Britain to apologize and pay compensation for its role in the trans-Atlantic slave trade by telling a youth rally in Nassau that he recognized the "great suffering of the past."

Speaking Tuesday at a park where he attended celebrations marking the Bahamas' 1973 independence from Britain as a then-young Prince of Wales, the king said that part of what made the country what it is today came out of its dark past and that facing up to historic wrongs was "only right."

"Some of what is best in Bahamian culture today, the most joyful, the most hopeful, the most bright, was born out of darkness. It is only right that we should acknowledge the great suffering of the past in these islands and beyond, even as we rejoice in the successes of the present and build new opportunities for the future," said Charles who confirmed the legacy of slavery was on the agenda of a Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting he will attend next week.

Visits to memorials and other places of reflection and remembrance were among opportunities incorporated into the three-nation visit for Charles to engage with slavery's legacy, according to Buckingham Palace, with a spokesperson telling the BBC that the "tour is both a new journey but also the continuance of a lifelong one, in which he has sought to engage, understand and educate about the most shameful aspects of our past."

The Bahamas National Reparations Committee criticized Charles' comments, saying they fell "short of what justice requires" and calling on him to acknowledge the part played by the monarchy and how he intended to "remedy the wrongs committed in the name of the crown he wears."

"Our culture is not born out of darkness; our culture was born out of agency and out of the will to survive despite the horrors, trauma and degradation. Our culture is a testament to the power of the human spirit, not simply a reaction to the worst examples of it. We therefore do not need King Charles to tell us how outstanding our culture is... We need him to speak about his role in the darkness and how he plans to atone for it actively.

Charles was due to fly to Guyana on Thursday where he is also facing calls to apologize.

However, as a constitutional monarch, he acts on the advice of the British government, meaning he has to adhere to its no-apology or reparations policy.

The developments came as a poll in Britain published by the Repair Campaign group found a majority of adults younger than 35 backed formal reparatory justice talks -- although the overall figure was 40%. Another 19% were undecided.

Former St. Vincent and Grenadines prime minister Ralph Gonsalves said the results showed it was time for Charles to follow the Netherlands' example and apologize and begin working on a structure for dialogue.