Sarah Hewson, Talk TV Royal Editor says that the first Commonwealth nation to receive a Royal visit from newly crowned King Charles later this year is going to be Kenya.
King Charles and Queen Camilla will be visiting Kenya this year as part of the Crown’s efforts to strengthen ties with Commonwealth nations around the world. This is set to be King Charles’s first official trip to the country since his coronation at Westminster Abbey in London while it will be his fifth visit to Kenya. King Charles who was only three years old when his mother ascended to the throne had already visited Kenya four times. The first was in 1971, on safari with his sister Princess Anne with further trips in 1977, 1978 and 1987.
King Charles is said to have grown his first beard in Kenya, that even has a clearing called King Charles Campsite near the Treetops Hotel.
Their Majesties the King and Queen Camilla are expected to travel to Kenya later in the autumn for their first major trip to the commonwealth since Charles became King, choosing the African nation ahead of one of the 14 British realms for a major tour. Having last set foot on Kenyan soil in 1987, the return will be the first time the King has visited the nation in nearly 40 years.
Kenya even sent its soldiers to the United Kingdom ahead of the coronation to participate in a joint parade. King Charles monarch will tour the country before heading to France, according to several British media reports.
This particular trip to Kenya will evoke memories of the late Queen Elizabeth, his mother, who in February 1952 – at the age of 25 – became Queen, after her father, King George VI passed away. It follows so soon after the first anniversary, as the country is where the late Queen herself became monarch, with King George passing away during her official trip in 1952.
Queen Elizabeth had travelled to Kenya with Prince Phillip to begin a world tour on behalf of King George, only to receive the sad news on 6th February, 1952, while staying at the Treetops Hotel in Aberdare National Park.
A royal source said that Her Majesty’s passing was an event that truly signified the end of an era.
Mixed emotions
The king is said to have often spoke fondly of the warmth and hospitality he received from the Kenyan people during his visits.
His visit to Kenya will be met with mixed emotions though. While diplomatic relations between London and Nairobi will be strengthened, there are still grievances against the UK among locals who want the UK government to make amends for British imperialism, suppression of the Mau Mau rebellion and land grievances. Many Kenyans feel that these issues have not been adequately addressed by the British government.
The Monarch’s visit is also expected to subdue a rising wave of disaffection among Kenyans with the British Army Training Unit in Kenya based in Nanyuki, amid accusations of abuses by the soldiers against locals.
The King’s choice to mark his mother’s death privately. echoes the late Queen’s herself, as she traditionally stayed at her Sandringham estate in Norfolk until after the anniversary of her father George VI’s death in February of that year.
Subsequent to the coronation and conclusion of the summer holidays, the Royal family has been very much in transition since then and now, and there will be an expectation to see what is next. The King, who earlier this month began his summer in Scotland, will welcome members of his family to the Balmoral estate this summer.
