Buckingham Palace has announced that King Charles III is taking the issue of the monarchy's ties to slavery "profoundly seriously" and has committed to giving academics access to the royal collection and archives. This is the first time the British monarchy has publicly acknowledged its ties to slavery and has sparked a debate about the monarchy's role in the slave trade, including questions about the extent of its involvement and the implications of this involvement. Historians have argued that the monarchy should take responsibility and make reparations for the suffering caused by the slave trade.