The four-day visit includes an act of remembrance for the victims of the colonial administration, as well as a state banquet and events with charities and business. As King and Queen, the couple play a unique role in projecting British influence – and at a time of relative national decline, that matters.
What’s the point of the visit?
To improve relations with an important Commonwealth nation, and a strategically important regional partner in an area that is troubled by active Islamist militants and contains at least one failed state – Kenya’s neighbour Somalia. Periodic terror attacks and refugee movements into Kenya have also added to the instability in the region.
The timing of the visit is propitious, as it takes place close to the 60th anniversary of Kenya’s independence or uhuru (freedom), which was declared on 12 December 1963.
Buckingham Palace says the visit will “acknowledge the more painful aspects of the UK and Kenya’s shared history, including the Emergency (1952-1960)”, adding: “His Majesty will take time ... to deepen his understanding of the wrongs suffered in this period by the people of Kenya.” The visit, like all such official activities, will have been planned on the advice of ministers.
So will Charles apologise for the excesses of British colonial rule?
This story is from the November 01, 2023 edition of The Independent.
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This story is from the November 01, 2023 edition of The Independent.
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