Prince Harry “should apologise for his family’s role in the slave trade”, residents of Colombia’s San Basilio de Palenque have said ahead of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s visit to the town on Saturday. 

The trip to the historic town, which holds the title of South America’s first “free town” after being established by escaped slaves, was just one of several activities taking place during Harry’s visit to Colombia with wife Meghan Markle - however, their trip has earned a mixed reception from locals.

Shortly before the Prince and Duchess arrived, many locals had said they were “hopeful” that Harry would use the moment to issue a public apology for the role the British crown played in the colonial slave trade. 

In the past the Prince has always been open about his disdain for the practice, and previously decried the “unjust” system that saw the British Crown rely upon “enslaved people” to generate wealth for the royals - however he has always stopped just short of formally apologising for his family’s role in the slave trade.

Yet many locals hoped that he would take the opportunity to apologise during his visit, including the president of the town’s local police force Segundo Caceres Reyes, who said: “I think he does have to [apologise], to free our hearts and our minds and ask for a pardon.”

Speaking from outside the force’s turquoise headquarters, he told The Telegraph: “We are in the process of forgiving and forgetting because we know how hard the facts are.”

A similar stance was also taken by local hairdresser Elida Canarte Diaz, 33, who also said she believes Harry should apologise.

She said: “His ancestors made our ancestors go through terrible times and he can make good faith and repent to show that they don’t agree with what happened before.”

Interestingly however, she did admit that she would never directly ask the Prince to apologise, as she felt the apology needed to come from him freely and of his own volition.

The couple began their four day tour of Colombia on Thursday, after Vice President Francia Márquez invited Harry and Meghan to visit the South American nation after watching their Netflix documentary last year. 

Incidentally, Ms. Márquez is actually one of the world’s leading voices in calling for reparations for years of slavery, and even set up a national commission “repair the historical debt owed”.

Elsewhere in their visit, the couple were treated a drumming workshop, where many local musicians had come out to play for the royals, including one member of the drumming troupe, Edwin José Valdés Torres, who was more eager to see what Harry and Meghan would “leave to us for the development of the community” rather than expecting an apology.

In his opinion, the couple didn’t need to pay reparations for the actions of Harry’s ancestors, and acknowledged that it was a “very complicated” thing to ask for - he did however think that the Prince needed to acknowledge the part the royal family had once played.

Meanwhile, in the remote Colombian town, some residents were less phased with the issue of reparations and slavery apologies, as it appeared several residents weren’t aware of who the Duke and Duchess were prior to their visit.

“Who is Meghan?” One person reportedly asked, before going on to enquire about which country Harry was a Prince of.

Made up of just 3,500 people, the small town is located around 30 miles south of Cartagena, and consists of just 10 roads lined with colourful houses.

Yet despite some residents being clueless about the identity of their famous visitors, they were still keen to warmly welcome Harry and Meghan and show them a glimpse of rural life with the traditional helping of Colombian hospitality and warmth.