King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands formally apologized on Saturday for his country’s role in the slave trade, a rare direct apology for a historical injustice by a sitting European monarch, APA reports citing New York Times.

Willem-Alexander, who ascended to the throne in 2013, made the apology in a speech in Amsterdam at an annual commemoration of the abolition of slavery in Suriname and the Netherlands’ Caribbean colonies, which was also the start of a memorial year that celebrates the 150th anniversary of the end of the practice there.

“We carry the horrors of the slavery past with us,” the king said, adding that the consequences of the slave trade could still be felt in the form of racism in today’s society.

“They are intensely experienced by me with heart and soul,” he said about his words of apology, which were met with applause.

The king also asked for forgiveness for the “obvious lack of action against this crime against humanity” on behalf of his ancestors, who like him were members of the House of Orange, the Dutch royal family.

Slavery was officially abolished in 1863 in the Dutch colonies, which included Suriname and Dutch Caribbean islands like Curaçao and Aruba among others, but many enslaved people were forced to work on plantations for a decade longer to limit financial losses for the owners. That meant that for most enslaved people, slavery did not end until 1873.

Source: Azeri-Press News Agency