Britain’s King Charles III to Visit Kenya From October 31

Britain’s King Charles and Queen Camilla will visit Kenya at the end of this month, Buckingham Palace said on Wednesday.

It will be the third foreign trip by the royals since Charles became king following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth in September last year.

In March they travelled to Germany, and last month they went to France for what was regarded as a highly successful three-day visit by the new monarch.

This will be to celebrate the warm relationship between the two countries and the strong and dynamic partnership they continue to forge.

Their October 31 to November 3 visit to Kenya comes at the invitation of President William Ruto and ahead of the east African nation celebrating 60 years of independence from Britain, Chris Fitzgerald, the king’s deputy private secretary, told reporters in a briefing.

Kenya was where the late Elizabeth, while on a royal tour with her husband Prince Philip in 1952, automatically became Britain’s monarch when her father King George VI passed away in England.

The trip will represent Charles’ fourth official visit to Kenya, where he will meet Ruto, business executives, United Nations staff, faith leaders and soldiers, Fitzgerald said.

“The visit will also acknowledge the more painful aspects of the UK and Kenya’s shared history, including the Emergency (1952-1960),” he added, referring to the bloody Mau Mau revolt against British colonial rule in which thousands of Kenyans died

The visit is at the invitation of Ruto and comes as Kenya prepares to celebrate 60 years of independence. His Majesty’s first visit to a Commonwealth nation as King is therefore to the country in which Queen Elizabeth II’s reign began, having acceded to the throne in Kenya in February 1952.

The King and Queen will visit Nairobi City County, Mombasa County and surrounding areas.

Their programme will reflect the ways in which Kenya and the United Kingdom are working together, notably to boost mutual prosperity, tackle climate change, promote youth opportunity and employment, advance sustainable development and create a more stable and secure region.

During the visit, they will meet President Ruto and the First Lady as well as and other members of the Kenyan Government, UN staff, CEOs, faith leaders, young people, future leaders and Kenyan Marines training with UK Royal Marines.

The King will also attend an event to celebrate the life and work of the Nobel Laureate the late Professor Wangari Maathai, together with Wangari’s daughter, Wanjira Mathai.

The King and Queen’s programme will celebrate the close links between the British and Kenyan people in areas such as the creative arts, technology, enterprise, education and innovation.

They will tour a new museum dedicated to Kenya’s history and will lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior at Uhuru Gardens, as well as visiting the site of the declaration of Kenya’s independence in 1963.

According to the program, they will be greeted in Nairobi with a ceremonial welcome at State House and will each attend bilateral meetings – The King with The President and The Queen with the First Lady, before The President hosts a State Banquet at State House.

The King will visit the United Nations Office at Nairobi, to learn more about the work of UN Habitat and the UN Environment Programme. UNON is the only UN Headquarters in the Commonwealth.

He will attend a technology showcase, meeting Kenyan entrepreneurs who are driving forward innovation in the country’s tech sector. Kenya has the third largest start up eco-system in Africa.

The King will host a reception focussed on Kenya’s young people and future leaders across development, trade, media, the creative arts and environmental conservation.

They will visit a Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery, joining British and Kenyan military personnel in an act of Remembrance, before hearing about the Commission’s recent work to ensure all those who supported Britain’s efforts in both World Wars are commemorated.

The King and Queen will visit Nairobi National Park to witness the vital conservation work being undertaken by the Kenya Wildlife Service, which is integral to Kenya’s thriving tourism industry.

The Queen, Patron of the equine welfare charity Brooke, will hear how the charity is working with the Kenya Society for the Protection and Care of Animals to rescue donkeys at risk and promote their welfare.

The King, as Captain General of the Royal Marines, and The Queen, will visit Mtongwe Naval Base in Mombasa.

There, they will witness Kenyan Marines, trained by the Royal Marines, demonstrating a covert beach landing, showing defence collaboration in action.

The Queen will meet survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, learning how they are supported and sharing her own insights from working in this area.

The King will meet faith leaders from Mombasa’s diverse community, hearing how they are working together to promote harmony amongst the city’s population