King Charles expresses 'sorrow and regret' over UK's colonial past

King Charles expresses his ‘greatest sorrow and deepest regret’ over Britain’s colonial past and says there can be ‘no excuse’ – but he stops short of full apology as he gives speech during state visit to Kenya

King Charles has expressed his ‘greatest sorrow and deepest regret’ for atrocities suffered by Kenyans during their struggle for independence from British colonial rule.

But in a speech at the start of a four-day state visit to Kenya, he stopped short of making a full apology called for by survivors of that period and local rights groups who are pressing for reparations from the British government.

‘The wrongdoings of the past are a cause of the greatest sorrow and the deepest regret,’ Charles said during a state banquet.

‘There were abhorrent and unjustifiable acts of violence committed against Kenyans as they waged… a painful struggle for independence and sovereignty â€’ and for that, there can be no excuse.’

Many citizens of former British colonies, including leaders of Kenya’s Nandi people, want Charles to directly apologise and endorse reparations for colonial-era abuses, including torture, killings and expropriation of land, much of which remains in British hands.

King Charles has expressed his ‘greatest sorrow and deepest regret’ for atrocities suffered by Kenyans during their struggle for independence from British colonial rule in a speech given at a banquet on his state visit to Kenya

But he stopped short of making a full apology called for by survivors of that period and local rights groups who are pressing for reparations from the British government

King Charles leaves the podium after delivering a speech during the State Banquet

President William Ruto praised Charles for his courage and readiness ‘to shed light on uncomfortable truths that reside in the darker regions of our shared experience’

Charles and Camilla share a toast with other attendees at the State Banquet

Charles speaks to Kenyan First Lady Rachel Ruto during the State Banquet

Mwangi Macharia, the head of the African Centre for Corrective and Preventive Action, a human rights group, said Britain should follow the example set by Germany, which has apologised for its abuses in Namibia, and agreed to fund projects worth over a billion euros

During the 1952-1960 Mau Mau revolt in central Kenya, some 90,000 Kenyans were killed or maimed and 160,000 detained, the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) has estimated.

Britain has previously expressed regret for those abuses and agreed a 20 million pound ($24 million) settlement in 2013.

President William Ruto praised Charles for his courage and readiness ‘to shed light on uncomfortable truths that reside in the darker regions of our shared experience’.

‘The colonial reaction to African struggles for sovereignty, and self rule was monstrous in its cruelty,’ Ruto said.

But he added: ‘While there has been efforts to atone for the death, injury, and suffering inflicted on Africans by colonial government, much remains to be done in order to achieve full reparations.’

Charles said he wanted during his trip to deepen his understanding of the wrongs and to meet some of those affected.

While still heir to the throne, Charles surprised many at last year’s summit of the Commonwealth – a voluntary association of countries that evolved from the British Empire – by acknowledging slavery’s role in the organisation’s roots.

Nandi King Koitalel Arap Samoei led a decade-long rebellion until he was killed by a British colonel in 1905. In the ensuing years, the British confiscated most of his people’s land and cattle.

Samoei’s great-grandson Kipchoge araap Chomu credited the British with contributions to Kenya like education and public health systems but said historical injustices must be remedied.

‘We have to demand public apology from the government of the British,’ he told Reuters. ‘After apologies, we also expect a reparation.’

The King and Queen arrived in a flash of lightbulbs for a glittering state banquet tonight, rounding off the first day of their Kenyan state visit.

King Charles III and Queen Camilla are greeted by President of the Republic of Kenya, William Ruto, and the First Lady of the Republic of Kenya, Rachel Ruto as they arrive at the State Banquet hosted by President Ruto at State House

Queen Camilla shakes the hand of the First Lady of the Republic of Kenya, Rachel Ruto ahead of the glittering state banquet tonight

Queen Camilla looked elegant in a blue tunic top and palazzo-style trousers by one of her favourite designers, Anna Valentine. She also sported a diamond elephant bracelet and a necklace belonged to her adored grandmother by Van Cleef & Arpels

The king wore a lounge suit as the dress code was not black tie

Standing with the magnificent backdrop of State House behind them, lit up for the occasion, they then walked down a red carpet

The King and Queen were greeted with the sounds of a Ma traditional dance troop from Narok, who greeted them with a ceremonial dance of celebration

Staff prepare for a State Banquet hosted by President Ruto at State House for distinguished guests including Foreign Minister James Cleverley and his wife

King Charles pictured sitting at the table ahead of the banquet, along with distinguished guests from Kenya and the United Kingdom

Queen Camilla looked elegant in a blue tunic top and palazzo-style trousers by one of her favourite designers, Anna Valentine.

She also sported a diamond elephant bracelet and a necklace belonged to her adored grandmother by Van Cleef & Arpels.

The king, who wore a lounge suit as the dress code was not black tie, posed for photographs with his wife and their hosts, President William Ruth of Kenya and First Lady, Rachel Ruto.

Standing with the magnificent backdrop of State House behind them, lit up for the occasion, they then walked down a red carpet the sounds of a Ma traditional dance troop from Narok, who greeted them with a ceremonial dance of celebration.

The couple are set to dine on a lavish eight-course menu:

*Beetroot and goat cheese foam with hazelnut crumble

*Cream of roasted butternut, chestnut and truffle soup

*Malindi lobster and seared seafood ravioli flavoured bisque

*Watercress and stilton salad with candied apples and walnuts

*Palate cleanser: lemon and raspberry sorbet

*Pan-seared salmon with Champagne beurre blanc

*Beef Wellington, chateau potatoes and minted asparagus (with chicken Wellington for the high table)

*Dessert symphony: A visually stunning dessert platter with miniature portions of Kenyan and British inspired honey cake, carrot and walnut square, earl grey tea crumble and sarova chocolate cake

*Petit fours and coffee (including chocolate truffles and macaroons, with Kenyan coffee or tea)

Among the guests were Foreign Minister James Cleverley and his wife.

At the state banquet, which is being held in the King and Queen’s honour, Charles will give a speech to guests including prominent Kenyans and UK figures.

He is expected to acknowledge the ‘more painful’ aspects of Britain’s colonial relationship with Kenya, including atrocities and the execution of 1,000-plus people perpetuated during the Mau Mau rebellion, when he gives a return toast at the banquet.

But Charles is unable to offer an official apology, despite calls by activists who also want Britain to pay further damages over human rights abuses dating back to the 1950s.

This is because he is visiting at the request of the British Government which, while having already paid out nearly £20million in compensation, has not apologised.

Earlier today the King picked produce from an urban farm and presented it to a hospital’s chef as he learnt about a Kenyan project that has given new life to waste ground also home to giant snails whose slime is used in women’s beauty products.

The monarch pulled out spinach, kale and curly kale leaves from the ground after he was given a guided tour of City Shamba, a city farm initiative in Nairobi.

The first full day of Charles’ highly symbolic state visit to Kenya began with a visit to a monument and fig tree celebrating the African nation’s independence from Britain.

The royal couple met local children, including groups taking part in a The Prince’s Trust International Enterprise Challenge. Charles also visited entrepreneurs during a visit to a Tech and Innovation showcase in the Kenyan capital, where he also admired a portrait of his wife Queen Camilla.

He looked excited as he walked a large patch of land behind Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital that has been transformed in just 12 months into a thriving organic holding, producing a wide range of vegetables and herbs and also chickens, with two ponds to raise fish, and snails.

King Charles III views giant African land snails from the aquaponics greenhouse at an urban farm

King Charles III holds some veg and speaks to a group of nutrition, health and science experts at a Kenyan urban farm project – City Shamba

Charles picked produce and then handed it to hospital chefs

King Charles speaks to an entrepreneur during a visit to a Tech and Innovation showcase at Nairobi Garage after spotting a portrait of his wife

King Charles III poses with young people taking part in a Prince’s Trust International Enterprise Challenge in Nairobi today as the royal tour of Kenya got underway

Kenya’s first lady Rachel Ruto, president William Ruto, King Charles III and Queen Camilla view the Mugomo Tree, the spot where the Kenyan flag was first raised after independence in 1963

Citizens gather on the streets to welcome King Charles III and Queen Camilla in Nairobi

King Charles attends a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior on their state visit to Kenya at the Uhuru Gardens in Nairobi

The symbolic moment came as the King and Queen began the first full day of their four-day trip

Charles appeared to close his eyes in prayer during a symbolic moment for the King and Kenya

The King lays his wreath before going to view Kenya’s celebrated Mugomo Tree

King Charles III arrives at the State House in Nairobi on day one of the state visit

King Charles inspects ceremonial guards during the official welcoming ceremony upon his arrival to Nairobi today

King Charles and President William Ruto at the official reception, flanked by guards

King Charles III laughs with the president of Kenya, Dr William Ruto, and First Lady of Kenya Rachel Ruto during a visit to Uhuru Gardens

Queen Camilla and First Lady Rachel Ruto, who will hold private talks today

Hospital chef Nelly Njagi, who was handed a basket of vegetables leaves with the final few picked by the King, said afterwards: ‘He asked if this was for the patients and I told him it was. Having this organic food available is very good for their recovery.’

The King was also shown a selection of large African land snails bred by staff at the farm and laughed when told by Gregory Kimani, City Shamba’s founder and chief executive officer, the slime is used by the beauty industry for women’s facial products.

Charles marvelled at the larvae of black soldier flies used to turn vegetable waste into fertiliser, and seemed impressed by the farm’s use of natural pesticides, including rabbit urine, and vertical planting.

For a brief moment, he popped into a polytunnel where roasting temperatures are helping to ripen tomatoes.

Mr Kimani said after the royal visit: ‘Taking the King around the farm means that our idea is something that can go out there and it can be accepted anywhere by anyone. So we are very much glad for the validation of the idea.

‘Growing our crops organically was a huge thing for him, he really liked the idea of how we are growing things and really taking back control of our own food system.’

Earlier the King laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior at Uhuru Gardens on the outskirts of Nairobi on a trip dominated by Kenya’s colonial past.

Charles, who has been accompanied by Queen Camilla, then walked to the Mugomo Tree. The fig tree marks the spot where, on the night of December 12, 1963, Kenya celebrated its independence by lowering the Union Flag and raising the flag of Kenya. It is viewed as modern Kenya’s birthplace.

The King and Queen were told how a fig tree planted to mark the moment Kenyan independence was declared was considered a shrine and a ‘memory’ of the country’s turbulent history.

They were also warned that no one must take cuttings from it, and those who did were struck by lightning and died.

Their Majesties visited Nairobi’s Uhuru Gardens, where the King unveiled a plaque and laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior.

The couple then viewed the Mugomo Tree, planted on the day Kenya declared its independence. Uhuru, in Kiswahili, means ‘freedom’.

The King and Queen listened intently as Samson Malaki, curator at the nearby Mashujaa Museum, which tells the story of Kenya’s history, explained the tree’s significance.

‘It is a tree that marks our history,’ he said. ‘This tree is not just a historic landmark, but it is a shrine.

‘This country was planted as a result of what we went through as a country, as a memory, as far as this country is concerned.’

King Charles III in shades at Uhuru Gardens, Nairobi, on day one of the State Visit to Kenya

Queen Camilla, King Charles III, President of Kenya, Dr William Ruto, and First Lady of Kenya Rachel Ruto pose for a photograph in front of the Mugomo Tree

King Charles III meets members of the local community following a wreath laying ceremony at the tomb of the Unknown Warrior

Ceremonial Guards are seen as King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla are welcomed by Kenyan President William Ruto

Charles later visited Eastlands Library in Nairobi

Camilla accompanied Charles on the visit to the Eastlands Library in Kenya’s capital

The couple met local children inside. They are participants of the Prince’s Trust International (PTI) Enterprise Challenge

Britain’s King Charles meets secondary school pupils during his visit to the library

Queen Camilla greeting children, during her visit to Eastlands Library, with King Charles III

Queen Camilla gets a tour of a Kenyan charity helping with literacy

Camilla reads Lion and Mouse to local children

Queen Camilla speaks with founders of Book Bunk, a charity that restores public libraries

President of Kenya, Dr William Ruto (C) walks with King Charles III as they visit a new museum dedicated to Kenya’s history

King Charles III during a bilateral meeting with President of Kenya, Dr William Ruto, at the President’s Office in the State House

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly with his wife Susannah at Uhuru Gardens during the visit

He told royal visitors that various Kenyan communities made pilgrimages to the tree to carry out cultural practices under its branches, including the offering of animal sacrifices, prayers and blessings.

He told them the tree was almost 59 years old but should live for up to 300 years, and will therefore be seen by many generations to come.

The royal visitors were told it was considered a shrine because when branches were once cut off it, the perpetrators were struck by lightning. Mr Malaki said no one was allowed to take cuttings from the tree and it must die naturally.

The King appeared fascinated by the tree and asked if it bore fruit.

Earlier, Their Majesties were greeted by Kenya’s president William Ruto and his wife, First Lady Rachel Ruto, on arrival at the gardens.

They stood for the national anthems of both the UK and Kenya, played by the Kenya Defence Forces Band.

Charles then pulled on a flag to unveil a plaque marking the occasion of their visit.

King Charles III smiles as he arrives with Queen Camilla for their separate engagements inside Eastlands Library

King Charles III and Queen Camilla, President of the Republic of Kenya, William Ruto, and the First Lady of the Republic of Kenya, Rachel Ruto walk beside the house of Jomo Kenyatta, Kenya’s first president

Charles III and Queen Camilla visit Uhuru Gardens in Nairobi, Kenya

The royal couple during a visit to the Mashujaa Museum in Uhuru Gardens

King Charles shakes hands with Will Straw, chief executive of Princes Trust International

Charles meets participants of the Prince’s Trust International (PTI) Enterprise Challenge

King Charles III poses with pupils during his visit to Eastlands Library with Queen Camilla

Young students look at a computer monitor ahead of the arrival of King Charles III

The King and President Ruto walked along the red carpet towards the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior.

As they approached the memorial, they paused and stood in solemn silence as the Last Post was played.

The King then stepped forward to aid the laying of a large wreath by two female soldiers on his behalf.

He touched it before taking a step back and pausing briefly to reflect before President Ruto did the same.

The King and Queen did a brief walkabout, greeting military families who had lined up to meet them. As they shook hands, Charles referred to the inclement weather as he said: ‘Don’t get too wet!’

Earlier his Majesty held a bilateral meeting with the president, while his wife was shown a gallery of images by the First Lady and told about the work of MaMa Doing Good, the socio-economic development organisation she founded in 1997 to help women, youth and vulnerable people in Kenya.

Charles and Camilla were greeted by Mr Ruto and his wife at the State House in Nairobi.

While the King was smart in a lounge suit, Queen Camilla was elegant in a white crepe silk Anna Valentine dress and a diamond oyster brooch that once belonged to the late Queen Elizabeth II.

Before the formalities began, the foursome posed for a picture for the waiting press with the president’s official residence as a backdrop.

The King later joined Mr Ruto on a dais as a nearby Guard of Honour, formed in two rows, gave a royal salute and both the UK and Kenya’s national anthems were played followed by a 21-gun salute.

Charles inspected the troops, walking past the soldiers in their red tunics and peaked caps.

A teenage Kenyan girl made King Charles laugh today when she told him that a computer game for would-be entrepreneurs had given them the ultimate networking opportunity – by allowing them to meet the King.

She was among a group of children from deprived rural areas who have been helped by a project co-run by Charles’s charity Prince’s Trust International (PTI).

King Charles sniffs herbs grown at an urban farm at the Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital in Nairobi

King Charles III meets people during his visit to the City Shamba urban farm project

City Shamba serves as a model farm and information centre for the local community, and provides food to the hospital

City Shamba, the Nairobi hospital’s urban farming project, demonstrates how food production can be carried out in densely populated urban spaces through regenerative agricultural practice and use of recycled materials

As they arrived at the Eastlands Library Charles and Camilla shook hands with a small crowd outside before going in, where the Queen met the founders of a literary project while the King met youngsters who were taking part in a business simulation game to help them thinking about becoming budding business people.

Some of them had never used a laptop before taking part in the project.

After being shown the game by one group of children, the King said: ‘So you’re learning very fast – faster than me!’

Before he could walk away one girl, Ivy, thanked the King saying that the programme had helped them network by ‘meeting many guys’ – including the King.

The King told one group that a bird feeder they had made from plastic water bottles was ‘very cunning’.

He was also particularly enthralled by one group that was using sustainable methods to nurture seedlings for crops such as tomatoes and guava. ‘All that rain last night is exactly what is needed,’ he said.

He added: ‘I know that the president wants to plant 15 billion trees, so you are going to have to do an awful lot. There are never enough seedlings!’

Erna Grasz, chief executive of PTI’s partner charity, Asante Africa Foundation, said: ‘Three quarters of this group travelled 16 hours by bus from the furthest north of the country. They have never seen a full length mirror. The first night they were here in Nairobi, they were being trained how to use a hot water spigot in the shower. They had never seen hot water coming out of the wall. This was the first time they have ever had a bed they did not have to share with family members.

‘One of them said to me that it is usually us watching the important people on TV. Today the important people get to watch us.’

Will Straw, chief executive of PTI, said their Enterprise Challenge programme was aimed at encouraging young people to think about entrepreneurship as a route to meaningful work. ‘The demographic pressures in Kenya and many other parts of Africa mean that there aren’t going to be enough formal jobs in the economy for young people as they reach the labour market.’

The Queen told children to ‘explore the world’ like they ‘do in books’ after sitting in for a fun-filled Kenyan story time. Fourteen children at Eastlands Library, in Nairobi, read passages from ‘Lion and Mouse’ by Catalina Etcheverri. The Queen, 76, smiled as she sat on a chair and the youngsters energetically read the book to her while they rested cross-legged on the floor. She smiled broadly and gave them a huge round of applause then bent down to speak to the boys and girls. The Queen said: ‘You are all very good readers. Work hard and keep reading.’

Mary Kinyanjui, of Kenya National Library Service, said afterwards: ‘She encouraged them to continue to read and to explore more about the world as they do in story books.’ The Queen was at Eastlands Library to meet the founders of Book Bunk, a Kenyan charity that restores public libraries into ‘Palaces for People’. Outside she paused to shake hands with delighted well-wishers and children and to shake their hands. Inside she was welcomed by Book Bunk Founder and publisher Ms Angela Wanjuka and author Wanjiru Koinange. She met local performers and artists before viewing the library’s giant chess board and time capsule. And she paused to greet 2021 Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition winner, Ms Kayla Bosire.

Neil Wigan, the UK High Commissioner to Nairobi, said: ‘Every Kenyan I’ve talked from the president downwards has just been delighted about the royal visit, and really pleased that the first Commonwealth trip that the King is doing he has chosen to do it to Kenya.

‘They feel a really close link with the royal family, through the [late] Queen, through the King – I think it is his first official visit.

‘Most people are focused on that, they talk about what they would like to get out of Britain today. They value that relationship with Britain.’

He said Kenya had been chosen as the King’s first Commonwealth visit partly because of the relationship with the royal family, but also because Britain’s relationship with Kenya was ‘really strong’.

He added: ‘Kenya is a key country, everything from counter-terrorism and climate change to trade. It’s a really fast-moving country, and it is one where we want to use the magic dust of the royal family to build a relationship.’

While some people are pressing for reparations and an apology for Britain’s treatment of the Mau Mau rebels in the 1950s, he said they were in a minority.

Wigan said: ‘I’ve met quite a lot of people from the communities who were directly affected, and actually most of them are more focused on the future, about how we do things together. Most Kenyans are nothing but positive about the visit.’

The visit is the King and Queen’s first to a Commonwealth country, which will strengthen the UK’s relationship with Kenya through the ‘soft diplomacy’ of the royal family.

Kenya is celebrating the 60th anniversary of its independence from Britain and Charles later held a bilateral meeting with the Kenyan statesman while Camilla had separate talks with Mrs Ruto.

Charles and Camilla arrived last night on an RAF Voyager aircraft in Nairobi and left the plane with no fuss or fanfare in what was billed an ‘administrative arrival’ ahead of the ceremonial welcome in the capital today.

Kenyan President William Ruto (C) shakes hands with Britain’s King Charles III (L) as he arrives at Uhuru Gardens in Nairobi

King Charles planted a tree following the arrival ceremony

King Charles III and the President of Kenya, Dr William Ruto, unveil a plaque during a visit to Uhuru Gardens, Nairobi, on day one of the State Visit to Kenya

King Charles III meets members of the community following a wreath laying ceremony at the tomb of the Unknown Warrior

King Charles III (C) prepares to wash his hands after planting a tree as Kenyan President William Ruto (R) stands next to him at the Statehouse in Nairobi

Queen Camilla, King Charles III, Kenya’s President William Ruto, and First Lady Rachel Ruto pose during a ceremonial welcome at State House in Nairobi today as the royal visit begins

King Charles III and Queen Camilla meet Kenya’s President William Ruto and his wife, First Lady Rachel Ruto, at their official residence in the capital of Nairobi today

King Charles III and Kenya’s President William Ruto pose at the State House in Nairobi today

King Charles III inspects the Guard of Honour during the ceremonial welcome in Nairobi today

Charles plants a tree while standing next to President Ruto at State House in Nairobi today

Queen Camilla and King Charles III are greeted by President Ruto and the First Lady today

King Charles III walks past a Guard of Honour during the ceremonial welcome in Nairobi today

Queen Camilla and Kenya’s First Lady Rachel Ruto during a bilateral meeting in Nairobi today

King Charles III shakes hands with Kenya’s President William Ruto in Nairobi today

King Charles III arrives today for a ceremonial welcome at State House in Nairobi, Kenya

Queen Camilla arrives today for a ceremonial welcome at State House in Nairobi, Kenya

I Know All News

King Charles expresses 'sorrow and regret' over UK's colonial past

King Charles expresses his ‘greatest sorrow and deepest regret’ over Britain’s colonial past and says there can be ‘no excuse’ – but he stops short of full apology as he gives speech during state visit to Kenya

READ MORE Charles and Camilla land in Kenya without ceremonial welcome

READ MORE Campaigners are demanding the King says sorry on his Kenyan tour this week for Britain’s treatment of the Mau Mau rebels. Here, DAVID ELSTEIN argues passionately they couldn’t be more wrong

READ MORE ROBERT HARDMAN delves into the wild life of the Royals in Kenya… From William’s proposal to Charles facing down a charging elephant