Man in his 80s becomes first in France to formally apologise for family’s slavery links

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April 18, 2026

Catarina Demony, Reuters

Nances France Slave Trade — Nantes, France, was known for its activity in the slave trade, as depicted in this painting from 1773 by Jean-René L’Hermite (Public Domain)

A man in his 80s on Saturday issued what is believed to be the first formal ‌apology by someone in France for their family’s role in transatlantic slavery, saying he hoped others – including the government- would follow.

Pierre Guillon de Prince’s ancestors, based in Nantes, France’s largest port for transatlantic slavery, were shipowners who transported around 4,500 enslaved Africans and owned plantations in the Caribbean.

Guillon de Prince said other French families must confront their historical ties to slavery and the state should go ⁠beyond symbolic gestures to address the past, including through reparations.

“Faced with the rise of racism in our society, I felt a responsibility not to let this past be erased,” the 86-year-old said, adding he wanted to pass the family history on to his grandchildren.

He delivered the apology to a gathering in Nantes ahead of the inauguration of an 18-metre replica ship mast, alongside Dieudonné Boutrin, a descendant of enslaved people from the Caribbean island of Martinique.

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