Next Tuesday, King Charles and Queen Camilla will arrive in Kenya for their first (!!) visit to a British Commonwealth country since QEII passed away. I keep saying this because it’s true: it was never supposed to happen this way, with Charles refusing to go on a tour of Commonwealth countries in his first year as sovereign. He was supposed to observe a period of mourning (which he did), he was supposed to extensively tour the UK (which he did), and then he was supposed to go on a Commonwealth tour so that all of the commonwealth countries could see him (which he did not). Buckingham Palace’s excuse is that Prime Minister Sunak didn’t want him to travel that much, and/or the bigger priority was shoring up EU alliances. But it’s bonkers that Charles or his heir have not visited Australia, Canada, New Zealand or any Commonwealth country in the past 14 months. Anyway, I have my fingers crossed that the king and queen’s Kenya trip will be a huge disaster. Apparently, Richard Eden at the Daily Mail is hoping for the same thing!
When King Charles lands on Tuesday for a short tour of Kenya, he is expected to acknowledge some of the ‘more painful’ aspects of our shared history. These will no doubt include the Mau Mau uprising of the 1950s and its often bloody suppression by British troops. But there is also much to celebrate about our strong links with Kenya and the Commonwealth, says Richard Eden, who today urges the King and his advisers to avoid turning the visit into a ‘misery tour’.
‘It should be a celebration of Britain’s close ties with Kenya and a chance to show how Commonwealth membership has benefited both countries since independence 60 years ago,’ he writes in the latest edition of the Palace Confidential newsletter. ‘Our Royal Family should be optimistic, joyful ambassadors for Britain, not miserable apologists for empire, which had positive as well as negative aspects.’
The midweek tour of Kenya, which runs from Tuesday to Friday, will include some poignant notes, writes Eden. ‘The East African nation is where his mother climbed into a tree a princess and climbed down a Queen. And at a Buckingham Palace reception this week he was presented with a photograph of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip at Treetops Hotel, in Aberdare National Park, where they were staying in 1952 when they learned that George VI had died and their lives would change forever.’
Accompanied by Queen Camilla, this will be the King’s first trip to a Commonwealth nation since the death of his mother and his accession to the throne just over a year ago.According to his deputy private secretary, Chris Fitzgerald, the King will take the opportunity to acknowledge ‘the more painful aspects of the United Kingdom and Kenya’s shared history’.
Will he go further? There are real dangers in doing so, concludes Eden.
Eden is basically arguing on behalf of colonialist cosplay and imperialist messaging. Come on, that might work on William and Kate because those two idiots love some colonialist cosplay. But it won’t work on Charles. No, Charles will try to have the smallest, tidiest footprint in Kenya. Everything stage-managed to a crazy degree, careful photo-ops with the friendliest Kenyans and absolutely no “grand old empire” talk. It’s bonkers that one of the Mail’s biggest columnists is like “don’t apologize for all of the racist, violent sh-t Britain did, stay strong!” Anyway, fingers crossed that even with the careful choreography, sh-t still hits the fan.
PS… These are photos from October 24th, when Charles and Camilla did an event at the palace where they “viewed part of the Royal Collection relating to the Royal family’s long standing connection to the nation at a reception for the Kenyan diaspora in the UK.” They invited people of Kenyan descent to the palace so that they could all look at the stuff the Windsors stole from Kenya. I swear to god.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.
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- King Charles III and Queen Camilla view part of the Royal Collection relating to the Royal family’s long standing connection to the nation at a reception for the Kenyan diaspora in the UK at Buckingham Palace, central London, to celebrate the warm relationship between the two countries and the strong and dynamic partnership they continue to forge ahead of their Majesties state visit to Kenya. Featuring: King Charles III and Queen Camilla Where: London, United Kingdom When: 24 Oct 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- King Charles III and Queen Camilla view part of the Royal Collection relating to the Royal family’s long standing connection to the nation at a reception for the Kenyan diaspora in the UK at Buckingham Palace, central London, to celebrate the warm relationship between the two countries and the strong and dynamic partnership they continue to forge ahead of their Majesties state visit to Kenya. Featuring: King Charles III and Queen Camilla Where: London, United Kingdom When: 24 Oct 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- King Charles III and Queen Camilla view part of the Royal Collection relating to the Royal family’s long standing connection to the nation at a reception for the Kenyan diaspora in the UK at Buckingham Palace, central London, to celebrate the warm relationship between the two countries and the strong and dynamic partnership they continue to forge ahead of their Majesties state visit to Kenya. Featuring: King Charles III and Queen Camilla Where: London, United Kingdom When: 24 Oct 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- King Charles III with Ms Roseline Njogu, Kenya High Commission, during a reception for the Kenyan diaspora in the UK at Buckingham Palace, central London, to celebrate the warm relationship between the two countries and the strong and dynamic partnership they continue to forge ahead of his Majesty’s state visit to Kenya. Featuring: King Charles III with Ms Roseline Njogu, Kenya High Commission Where: London, United Kingdom When: 24 Oct 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
As a citizen of an African Commonwealth country, we see no “positive” aspects of empire. Only the ways it pillaged our land, murdered our ancestors and continues to treat the descendants of the people who built their empire like violent invaders when we arrive in the UK to pursue further studies (at great personal cost because the commonwealth offers no educational advantages despite proclaiming itself to be a family with mutual benefits). Personally, the only apology I’m interested in is the return of our stolen diamonds.
It’s interesting that while he had examples for the negative aspects (that of course should be ignored) his only positives about the relationship between Britain and the uk is that the queens dad died when she was in Kenya and she was forced to become a super young queen before she was ready.
In what way did that help the Kenyans. They love to claim that there was so much good that override the brutal oppression but they are never able to explain what those goods were.
Just out of curiosity, does anyone know why the queen was so far away in Africa, while her father was at death’s door?
Lady D, no one knew how truly sick her father was.
I can’t believe someone can say there’s “positive” outcomes of imperialism and not get immediately canceled. Disgusting.
Educational benefits should absolutely be offered! Charles should be announcing a bunch of scholarships.
Well, they think benefits accrued to Africans enslaved in America, so, what else can be expect.
Wannabefarmer, that’s exactly what I thought of when I read that sentence.
Oh, this ought to be good. Question: what positive aspects of empire were there for Black Kenyans? I’ll wait.
“A celebration of close ties”? Are you kidding? You pillaged their country of what good things they had. You were heavily involved in the slave trade but sure they must welcome Chuckles with open arms and he should not apologize for anything. I hope for protests.
This.
Let’s not gloss over the ‘imperialism had positive and negative aspects’ thing that Eden said, either. That’s wrong on about eight different levels, by my count! It’s reductive. It’s ignorant. It’s a-historical. It centers current conservative British sentiments ahead of any other point of view. It’s uselessly vague. It comes at the end of a couple paragraphs which conflate the Commonwealth with the Empire, deliberately obfuscating focus. It also deliberately misuses the word ‘apologist’. It’s the Daily Mail telling the King of England to ignore crimes against humanity.
“Apologist” and “apology” mean different things. An apologist would defend Britain’s actions in Kenya. So what is Eden saying?
Sooo offensive and gross. Everything Eden is saying. The positives? GTFOH. And touring what they stole with the people they stole it from? Omg. Wtf?
What were the positive aspects of Empire?
Positive for Britain, negative for Kenya (and all others that were in the empire.)
So basically he’s saying “it was good for the UK and that’s what matters.”
Came to write the same thing. There were many positive things about the Empire–for Britain. And at the expense of everyone else.
British cooking! Yum!
Eden needs the courage to say this stuff in Kenya. But he is too much of a racist coward to do so.
Maureen is vile.
Wow! This entire situation is problematic and inviting Kenyans to view artifacts stolen from their country? The sheer audacity is astounding. Apologizing is the very least that this king should do for all of the horror and pain “the empire” caused around the world. And to be so dismissive of the Mau Mau rebellion and the thousands of deaths caused by the British troops? Eden needs a good swift kick in the azz for writing this condescending and offensive bs.
I am “keen” to see the reaction that these two crumblies get from the Kenyans. Are they really going to rock up with signed photographs of themselves to present to their hosts? It is going to be glorious!
I dont know why people act surprise when daily mail columnist are basically white supremacist who doesn’t like to apologize for their slavery. Daily mail is very white based tabloid. The way cover white and poc celebrities is bonkers. Adele used to be their Aryan queen until he step out with paul something. Look at their coverage of Taylor swift and how often they delete comment calling out tay tay pr. Taylor is their Aryan queen and daily mail love white supremacy and their hate to be wrong.
Canadian of British ancestry here:
Our families left UK for a reason and we don’t want to pay for the toxic twosome or Peg and Wig.
We prefer the Sussexes. They work.
Please tell me that Camilla is not wearing a leopard print dress for the Kenyan reception.
Because Kenya= safari=leopard print
She is. Kate’s not the only one who can theme dress.
I hope this is some old rag already in her wardrobe. I wouldn’t spend good money on this if new.
About to say the same. Animal print! Unbelievable! So ignorant, insensitive, and patronizing all at the same time. And whenever they go into this close relationship and mutual benefit, there is never anything specific identified as to what these are. Obviously, slavery can go in the British column.
Good lord. I just noticed.
Yeah go ahead and say this and see if Kenyans don’t rip you a good one, KFC3″…
joyful ambassadors for Britain, not miserable apologists for empire, which had positive as well as negative aspects.”
One can assume that Eden had been taught the white wash version of his country’s colonial history, and as such is speaking through his ass.
What is unforgivable is him trying to make the headlines of the news instead of reporting it.
The british slaughtered and pillaged their way through history, destroying cultures and countries. They should apologise. A monarchy who has no humanity cannot and should not survive. The brf seem to believe in their own self imagined superiority, there is absolutely nothing to see now other than narcissism and greed. They are on show to the world and it is not a pretty or regal picture, only pure arrogance.
When they go to a commonwealth country where they were or are heads of state, they should take with them everything they stole from the country and give it back to the country. That would make a good first step to at least acknowledge what they did.
If “joyful”Charlie visits, he should politely but publicly be asked to return Kenyan national treasures. His stuttering answer would be interesting.
Seriously??? I mean of course there were positive aspects of the empire. For the (white) British. We see what you’re trying to do there.
What gives me hope is that for all this active disinformation there are more and more British people growing up far away from the ‘good old days’ of empire who see the horrors that created and sustained it and won’t accept this whitewashing of history.
‘Our Royal Family should be optimistic, joyful ambassadors for Britain, not miserable apologists for empire, which had positive as well as negative aspects.’
—LOL
There is is still palpable bitterness because mau mau was also a civil war between loyalists and those who had refused imposition of an empire, just like in north america but i guess the difference is the race and kinship so its ok to dismiss the pain of brutality on africans. Kenyans are not seeking anything from UK. The master -servant relationship ended in 1963. media hornbills in UK are not different from their kind of the past and those apologists who think british brutality was was beneficial to those it subjugated. Kenya remains friendly to visitors, including the royal family. kenyans are not expecting anything from UK either.
At the age of 70 now I was raised to believe that the Commonwealth and British Empire were positive. Our school history books told us so. We visited the Commonwealth Institute in Kensington to be overawed by the wealth of these countries (and exploitation of it ) by the UK. I don’t believe that now but most people don’t read and infer that this was wrong.