King Refers Reparations Petition to Judicial Committee of the Privy Council

King Charles III has referred the reparations petition filed on September 7, 2026, on behalf of the people of Jamaica, to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.

Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange, made the disclosure in a statement to the House of Representatives on Tuesday (September 22).

“This is major, a really big deal. We are awaiting directions from the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council as to the next steps to be taken in the case. The Attorney General is preparing to deal with the case. We will keep the Cabinet and the Parliament updated on the developments,” Ms. Grange said.

The Jamaican petition asks three specific questions: Whether the seizure, transport and enslavement as chattel of Africans was ever lawful under English law.

Was it a breach of international law to seize, transport and enslave Africans in Jamaica? And whether the UK has a legal obligation to provide a reparatory remedy to the people of Jamaica.

It is estimated that over a period of more than three hundred years, starting in the mid-17th century, at least 15.4 million Africans were forcibly captured and transported across the Atlantic.

The records show that 1.2 million of those were taken to Jamaica where they were forced to work as enslaved people, predominantly on sugar plantations.

Ms. Grange said the reactions to the filing of the petition has been strong and, in some cases, highly emotive.

“We have seen and heard so much of what isn’t so. Many of the claims reported in certain sections of the media about what Jamaica is asking have been completely inaccurate despite our attempts at correction,” she noted.

Ms. Grange said while in the United Kingdom (UK), the team engaged with the world’s major news outlets, including Jamaican and Caribbean media in all formats and various channels.

They also engaged with members of the House of Lords and the House of Commons, with members of the diplomatic corps, and with the leadership of several churches who have taken on the reparatory justice cause and are planning to formally apologise for their links to chattel enslavement and to invest in reparatory justice initiatives.

Meanwhile, Ms. Grange said Jamaica continues to strengthen its engagement
with the British Museum, which has allowed local teams to inspect their inventory where it has been discovered that more than 8,000 artefacts in their collection are from Jamaica.

“The relationship has improved and we are making inroads. There is greater willingness to discuss plans for collaboration, which we believe will assist to get these priceless artefacts back home where they belong, to the Jamaica people,” Ms. Grange said.

“I was also able to sign a Letter of Intent with the National Windrush Museum at Greenwich towards collaborating on exhibitions, performances, and cultural programming, as well as educational programming related to Windrush history and Jamaican culture and heritage, and staff exchanges, attachments, and professional development opportunities between the Ministry, its affiliated agencies and the Museum,” she added.