- King Charles cannot issue an official apology despite calls from activists
The king will directly address the “more painful” aspects of Britain’s colonial relationship with Kenya when he embarks on his first visit to the Commonwealth since joining tomorrow.
He is set to address the issue – including the atrocities perpetuated during the Mau Mau uprising – when he toasts a state banquet in Nairobi hosted in his honor by President William Ruto and the First Lady.
Charles has been unable to make an official apology despite calls from activists who also want Britain to pay further compensation for human rights abuses dating back to the 1950s.
This is because he is visiting at the request of the British government, which has already paid out almost £20 million in compensation but has not apologized.
President Ruto, who invited the British monarch, is also said to be keen for the royal visit to look to the future. However, the king, who has proven to be an adept statesman through previous trips to France and Germany as well as his handling of the Middle East crisis, is determined not to sidestep the issue.
King Charles will acknowledge head-on the ‘more painful’ aspects of Britain’s colonial relationship with Kenya when he begins his first visit to the Commonwealth since joining tomorrow
Anti-monarchy and republican protesters demonstrate under British flags in Piccadilly in central London in May
Charles is ready to tackle the issue – including the atrocities that continued during the Mau Mau uprising – when he toasts a state banquet in Nairobi
And it’s thought the banquet, which will feature his first major public speech of the trip, will be the perfect occasion.
A royal source said: ‘The way His Majesty tackles the subject will be with the great diplomacy, humanity and humility he brings to all difficult topics, just as he did during state visits to France and Germany, with whom Great Britain’s relations Britain were tense. For different reasons.’
The King’s deputy private secretary, Chris Fitzgerald, has already said the monarch will acknowledge “the more painful aspects of the UK and Kenya’s shared history” – including the 1952 ‘Emergency’ or Mau Mau uprising – now the country its 60th anniversary of independence is approaching. November. The British colonial presence in Kenya formally began in 1895, when the country became a British colony in 1920. In 1952, the British declared a state of emergency after strikes and violent opposition led by the Mau Mau party.
Kenya’s Human Rights Commission says 90,000 Kenyans have been executed, tortured or mutilated in Britain’s crackdown. In 2013, Britain made a historic statement of regret, paying £19.9 million to around 5,200 Kenyans. But activists still want an apology.