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Topics: Royal Family
Shiala Mahmood
Prince Charles reportedly wants the history of the slave trade to be taught as widely across British schools as the Holocaust.
According to reports, the Prince of Wales believes there is a gap in awareness about the slave trade that needs to be addressed as thoroughly as the education surrounding the Holocaust.
The slave trade saw Britain ship 3.1 million African people to its colonies between 1640 and 1807.
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The Prince reportedly believes that improved education will help heal divisions within the Commonwealth and the UK.
A royal source has revealed that Prince Charles has called for slave trade history to be taught across British schools, as the British people do not have enough knowledge of the slave trade despite Britain playing a key role in its history.
The royal source told The Sunday Telegraph: "The Prince notes that in the UK, at a national level, we now know and learn at school all about the Holocaust. That is not true of the transatlantic slave trade... and there’s an acknowledgment that it needs to happen."
However, the source insisted that while Prince Charles was keen to help the public become better educated, that he was not trying to 'dictate' education policy. According to the source, the Prince wishes to encourage the public to take responsibility for their own knowledge of the slave trade.
This comes after Government sources claimed the Prince branded Home Secretary Priti Patel's plan to transport asylum seekers to Rwanda as 'appalling'.
Prince Charles is currently a patron of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, and now reports suggest that he is looking for a similar organisation for the slave trade to support. He believes that a similar initiative will help to educate and inform the British public.
The royal source also said the Prince of Wales has suggested that the UK create a national day to commemorate the victims of slavery, similar to Holocaust Memorial Day.
The news comes after the heir to the throne expressed his 'sorrow' for the suffering caused by slavery at the opening of a Commonwealth summit in Rwanda.
The senior royal did not apologise for his family's historic involvement during the slave trade, instead saying the potential for good could not be realised until 'we all acknowledge the wrongs which have shaped our past'.
The Prince also spoke of his 'personal journey of discovery' to continue to 'deepen his own understanding of slavery's enduring impact'.
Speaking at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting, he said: "Quite simply, this is a conversation whose time has come."
Over recent months, the royal family has been scrutinised for its links to Britain's involvement in the slave trade.
A number of royal visits to to Caribbean islands have been met with protests, calls for an apology and announcements from countries regarding their desire to remove the Queen as their head of state.
When Prince William and Princess Catherine were greeted with protests as they toured Saint Lucia, the Duke of Cambridge addressed the slave trade in his speech describing it as 'abhorrent'.
While notably not apologising, he said: "I want to express my profound sorrow. Slavery was abhorrent and it should never have happened."