The Prince of Wales became the first member of the Royal family to formally acknowledge the “appalling atrocity of slavery” in the Caribbean, saying it “forever stains our history”.

The Prince, who was in Barbados to witness the island officially become a republic, offered words of conciliation and respect to the nation, which has replaced the Queen as head of state.

In a speech delivered in the early hours of Tuesday morning, after the lowering of the Queen’s Standard for the final time, the Prince told a crowd that the creation of the republic offered a “new beginning” for Barbados.

The monarch, who from Tuesday morning is no longer Queen of Barbados, sent her own gracious message to its people with her “warmest good wishes”.

Calling the moment a “milestone on the long road you have not only travelled, but which you have built”, the Prince said: “From the darkest days of our past, and the appalling atrocity of slavery, which forever stains our history, the people of this island forged their path with extraordinary fortitude.

“Emancipation, self-government and independence were your way-points. Freedom, justice and self-determination have been your guides. Your long journey has brought you to this moment, not as your destination, but as a vantage point from which to survey a new horizon.”