Here are some photos of King Charles and Queen (Consort) Camilla’s arrival in Nairobi, Kenya today, Halloween. I wonder if there was any concern about these two colonizers making their big arrival on Halloween specifically? No one has said anything, so I guess it wasn’t an issue. Both Charles and Camilla looked a little worse for wear at the arrival ceremony. Charles is usually so dapper – say what you will about what a garbage person he is, but the man is usually elegantly turned out – but his suit was wrinkled and baggy at the ceremony. Camilla is going for “blousy boozehound,” per usual.
As we previewed, this is Charles’s first trip, as monarch, to an African country and a Commonwealth country. While Kenya is a republic now, they’re still part of the British commonwealth and British troops are still stationed in Kenya. Britain has yet to substantively address the brutal British rule over Kenya, which lasted into the 1960s. From the New York Times:
Kenya’s bleak colonial past loomed large as King Charles III officially began a four-day tour of the East African nation on Tuesday. It is his first state visit to any member of the Commonwealth group of nations since he became king last year, and the first to an African country.
Charles and Queen Camilla arrived in a Kenya where many communities are still grappling with the pain and loss they or their families endured over decades of British colonial rule, which lasted from 1895 to 1963. The king is under pressure from human rights groups, elders and activists to redress historical injustices, apologize and pay reparations to those who were tortured and removed from their ancestral lands.
There are still about 400 British military personnel stationed in Kenya for training. King Charles is also being asked to address abuses that some of those troops have been accused of committing over the years. The issue is so touchy that on Monday, Kenyan police blocked a news conference aimed at raising awareness about the accusations.
[From The NY Times]
Yeah, I saw that on Monday, that Kenyans blocked a news conference planned by activists and protestors. Can’t have that ahead of Chuck and Cam’s visit! Meanwhile, the palace social media people are trying to act cutesy about the royal visit to Kenya. Both Charles and Camilla look like hell in this video, so it’s not doing what the palace thinks it’s doing.
Follow #RoyalVisitKenya for the latest updates. pic.twitter.com/OkX55eFuwk
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) October 30, 2023
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
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