WILLEM-ALEXANDER, KING OF THE NETHERLANDS, APOLOGIZES FOR THE NATION’S PAST INVOLVEMENT IN SL@VERY.

On Saturday, July 1, the King of the Netherlands officially apologized for his nation’s involvement in the slave trade, stating that he was “personally & intensely” affected.

In a speech delivered in Amsterdam during a yearly celebration of the abolition of slavery in Suriname and the Dutch Caribbean territories, Willem-Alexander expressed regret.

According to the BBC, the nation grew to be a significant colonial power after the 17th century, possessing possessions all over the world and trading with more than 600,000 Dutch slaves.

It is acknowledged that slave trading and slavery are crimes against humanity. The kings and rulers of the House of Orange did little to stop it.

I’m here front of you right now as your King and a representative of the government.

I’m apologizing to myself today. And my heart and soul are burdened by the words’ gravity. I am pleading for pardon for the glaring lack of action today,” he remarked.