Dutch king offers official apology 150 years after slavery abolished

The Dutch king apologized for the sufferings of hundreds of thousands of people under slavery and asked for forgiveness on the 150th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in the Netherlands.

His apology comes from the bottom of his heart and soul, King Willem-Alexander said at an event in Amsterdam to mark the national event. "Of all forms of bondage, slavery is the most degrading and inhumane."

His apology echoes that made by Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on behalf of the Netherlands and the king at the end of last year.