Buckingham Palace’s busy little beavers were working overtime to do an enormous amount of cleanup during and after King Charles and Camilla’s Kenyan tour. That much is clear as I read a dozen “exclusives” from royal reporters traveling with C&C. The palace is trying to do multiple things at once: insist that the Kenyan tour was amazing; insist that Charles is a diplomatic heavy; deflect from any bad news coming out of the tour by leaking all kinds of sh-t about the Sussexes; and declaring victory because at least the Kenya tour wasn’t a complete disaster like William and Kate’s Caribbean Tour last year. Here’s Katie Nicholl at Vanity Fair repeating all of the palace lies:
The trip at the request of the British government was seen as instrumental in developing the already close relationship between Britain and the Commonwealth country and its lucrative multi million-pound trade partnership and on Friday was deemed a “resounding success.”
“Their Royal Highnesses have thoroughly enjoyed the trip. I think it’s fair to say it has been a resounding success,” one aide told Vanity Fair.
According to one royal insider, “there is a sense of relief that this went so well and a feeling that the King and Queen have hit the right notes. Next year we will see them carrying out a more extensive tour of the Commonwealth possibly to Australia and New Zealand and the fact that Kenya has been such a success bodes well.”
Charles and Camilla are said to be delighted with how well the tour went and pleased to have had the opportunity to spotlight causes they champion at home and around the world.
This is remarkable because it’s the same thing William did following his New York trip – which was another tone-deaf, stage-managed, solely-for-a-British-audience affair. The palace wants to dictate coverage and the insistence that the tour went swimmingly should tell you a lot about what went wrong.
Speaking of, a Kenyan journalist spoke out a few days ago about the racist treatment faced by Kenyan and African journalists traveling with the king’s entourage. I covered Mwangi Maina’s thread here. Additionally, Kenyan Foreign Policy published Maina’s more extensive article about what really went down during the royal tour, including the British government’s refusal to provide food for local journalists, an alleged assault on a Kenyan official by a British official, and on and on. You can read the archived piece here.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
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- Britain’s Queen Camilla (R) meets Bobby, a rescue dog from Kenya who is also wearing a bowtie, during a visit to the Brooke Donkey Sanctuary in Nairobi on November 1, 2023. The equine welfare charity Brooke is working with the Kenya Society for the Protection and Care of Animals (KSPCA) to rescue donkeys at risk, and promote their welfare.,Image: 818677716, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: BEN STANSALL / Avalon
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- Nairobi, Kenya, 01 November 2023: Britain’s Queen Camilla (center) is presented with Masai traditional regalia, by Masai women during a visit to the Brooke Donkey Sanctuary in Nairobi, Kenya. The equine welfare charity Brooke is working with the Kenya Society for the Protection and Care of Animals (KSPCA) to rescue donkeys at risk, and promote their welfare.,Image: 818762439, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: ***NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS***, *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: BEN STANSALL / Avalon
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- King Charles III and Queen Camilla arrive at a state banquet at State House in Nairobi, on day one of the State Visit to Kenya. Featuring: Camilla Queen Consort, King Charles III Where: Nairobi, Kenya When: 31 Oct 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- King Charles III and Queen Camilla arrive at a state banquet at State House in Nairobi, on day one of the State Visit to Kenya. Featuring: Camilla Queen Consort, King Charles III Where: Nairobi, Kenya When: 31 Oct 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- Queen Camilla feeds milk to a baby elephant during a visit to Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Elephant Orphanage in Nairobi National Park, to hear about the trust’s work in the conservation and preservation of wildlife and protected areas across Kenya, on day two of the state visit to Kenya. Featuring: Camilla Queen Consort Where: Nairobi, Kenya When: 01 Nov 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- Queen Camilla during a visit to Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Elephant Orphanage in Nairobi National Park, to hear about the trust’s work in the conservation and preservation of wildlife and protected areas across Kenya, on day two of the state visit to Kenya. Featuring: Camilla Queen Consort Where: Nairobi, Kenya When: 01 Nov 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- King Charles III visits Desi Loco Indian Street Food stand and orders a saag paneer kathi roll and a butter chicken samosa during a visit to a Nairobi Street Kitchen to celebrate the Kenyan cultural and creative scene and meet young creatives including artisans, fashion designers, musicians and artists, on day two of the state visit to Kenya. Featuring: King Charles III Where: Nairobi, Kenya When: 01 Nov 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- Queen Camilla, during a visit to Mtongwe Naval Base in Mombasa, where she and King Charles III will also watch the Kenya Marines, trained by His Majesty’s Royal Marines, demonstrate a covert beach landing, showing defence collaboration in action, on day three of the state visit to Kenya. Featuring: Camilla Queen Consort Where: Kuruwitu, Kenya When: 02 Nov 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- King Charles III sits on the beach with community elders during a visit to the Kuruwitu Marine Conservation Reserve, near Mombasa, to learn more about the work of the local coastal community in marine conservation, including their methods to restore coral, on day three of the state visit to Kenya. Featuring: King Charles III Where: Kuruwitu, Kenya When: 02 Nov 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- King Charles III and Queen Camilla arrive at Fort Jesus, in Mombasa Old Town, to tour the the UNESCO World heritage site and learn about the British, Portuguese and Omani influence on the fort’s architecture, on day four of the state visit to Kenya. Featuring: King Charles III, Camilla Queen Consort Where: Mombasa, Kenya When: 03 Nov 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- King Charles III and Queen Camilla arrive by tuk-tuk at Fort Jesus, in Mombasa Old Town, to tour the the UNESCO World heritage site and learn about the British, Portuguese and Omani influence on the fort’s architecture, on day four of the state visit to Kenya. Featuring: King Charles III, Camilla Queen Consort Where: Mombasa, Kenya When: 03 Nov 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
It was such a success that QC waited in the car for KC. 🙄
I was going to make the exact same point! This is pretty much the only memory I have from the tour, which means it absolutely did not go well.
Please run the “Horsilla pouting in the back of the car” picture again. I love that one and can’t find it.
OMG, I need to throw that in here!
Butt-groping seems to be a family thing at Chucky et al.
https://royalfamily.news/camilla-touches-king-charles-butt/
I laughed my butt off! 🙂
The royal family has officially reached their “emperor has no clothes” era. The “band keeps playing as the Titanic sinks” era. They’re going to pretend everything is just hunky dory until everything blows up in their face.
This ⬆️
Of course they think it’s a success because they believe they can do no wrong. This was as big a flop as the lazy leftovers was. Horsilla acted as her usual racist self. Their aids acted the same racist way. So it’s status quo for the racist colonizers.
That link to Mwangi Maina’s more extensive article is a really powerful read. It touches on British injustices in Kenya a decade ago, KC’s lack of environmental credits in Kenya, the fact that KC’s function is to highlight issues and he chooses to bury them instead, etc… Thanks for providing this information!
That article from Kenyan Foreign Policy was mind blowing 🤯. So many clueless British officials in charge it seems. And no visits to places important to Kenyan colonial history where Charles might actually learn something which is what he’s always claiming he wants to do.
I agree, thank you for the link.
Queen side piece is just happy that she successfully managed to survive being around black peoples foe 4 whole days. Just imagine if she didn’t have a car to hide in for some of that time, what would the racist Home wrecker and her racist husband who refuses to be a decent father in law and grandfather to his mixed race daughter in law and grandchildren have done ?
The trip was a “success” to their sycophants. This family/institutions effort to control the media should frighten the world.
If the tour was truly a success, the Palace would not have briefed against Harry. The press was given stories about Harry because they were dissatisfied with what they got out of the tour.
Cams looking massively uncomfortable with her hosts, as well as walking the yards of empty red carpet was a great look for them. If that is the measure of success…
Interesting: BP clearly feels that it’s okay for the RR to trash his son’s and (only) beloved DIL’s Caribbean visit to uplift KC’s visit in Kenya. On the one hand, that’s darkly amusing. On the other hand, that’s advertising family dysfunction on a whole new level!
That dog has more grace and sense than the both of them.
She at least had the decency to break out the black tie when meeting high ranking people. And her instincts were to keep as far away from the sidepiece consort as possible.
Yeah, I could swear that that doggo is wincing.
You know, I do think the trip was a success in their eyes. Charles and camilla were never going to make the front pages of every major international newspaper with this trip. Here, they weren’t fired on camera and didn’t have to cancel any events due to protests, so in their minds it IS a huge win over W&K’s Caribbean tour.
As royal tours have gone in the past, this was pretty typical and so I’m sure the palace does think it was successful, if not earth shattering.
the issue of course is that things aren’t the same as they were 10, 20, 30 years ago and now we’re getting stories like those mentioned in this post, about how the Kenyan journalists were treated, and some of the background information that makes it clear how much the palace didn’t view this as a trip to a commonwealth country but as a trip to a former colony, and they probably don’t place that much emphasis on “former.”
And just in general the optics in 2023 of the british king traveling to a former colony and inspecting the troops etc is just not a good look – it was never a good look, lets be clear, but now people are going to call it out.
@Becks1
“Here, they weren’t fired on camera and didn’t have to cancel any events due to protests, so in their minds it IS a huge win over W&K’s Caribbean tour.”
^^ This was only the case because of the country they visited and how choreographed the trip was as we have now found out from the Kenyan journalists.
C&C were touring in a carefully constructed echo chamber and I doubt they will ever know about the Kenyan journalists until one of the rags like the fail picks it up, which we know they never will.
So the very machinery that keeps them in their positions will also be responsible for their slow and steady demise.
Charles will be the last ‘real’ King. William’s job will be to usher in and embrace a new era of no more monarchies along with their weird notions of being ordained by God. It was only 50 odd years ago that your average Brit still believed in the blue blood of the Royals until the advent of DNA completely destroyed that mystique.
My suspicion is that given the state of the world currently and many marginalised people fighting for rights that the next 20-30 years will be about the push for truth and reconciliation.
That means Williams job as King will be to bring the monarchy to a natural conclusion. If he doesn’t do that then he is dooming George to a miserable existence with no real purpose.
They didn’t have to rush back to the car like Willem-Alexander and Maxima did in Cape Town. They didn’t get fired on camera like Will and Kate in Jamaica or get criticized for greeting people through a fence. I’m sure they do see the whole deal as a success. As several say on here, they only have to fool the people in the UK into thinking things went well. That’s where most of their property holdings and other assets are.
Interesting that the unnamed aide is calling Charles and Camilla “their royal highnesses.” As king and queen, they are actually “their majesties.” You’d expect an aide working at Buckingham Palace to know better. Or, alternatively, this was a quote from before September 2022 when Charles and Camilla were elevated from “royal highnesses” to “majesties.”
Good catch, Thena! This is the same protocol in Dutch (majesteit for kings and queens, hoogheid for princesses and princes), but that subtle use of language flew over my head. I wonder if it was a slight?
Those folks live in a state of delusion. And their handlers enable them. From the reporting from the journalist there, racism was on full display towards the press corp from Kenya, whether by design or chance. Red carpet on land was not the best look for colonists. Camilla staying in the car looking beat up and haggard while he visited a center. Their best bet is to stay far away from the Common wealth countries.
They call this “successful”? They must be so grateful that Hurricane Cambridge in the Caribbean gave them a curve to grade on.
This success story that they and their sycophants push – whether they believe it or not – makes them look unintelligent, out of touch and provincial. There is so much maneuvering by China, Russia, the US, and others for access to the minerals on that continent. It is deadly serious and incredibly impactful to all countries. The fact that these two thought their outdated colonial cosplay was a successful soft diplomacy visit is pitiful.
Still quite get my head around the Foreign Office only supplying lunches for the British media and no other media. These people go to the country beforehand to cover all the details of the tour so nothing is missed. But they failed badly by not catering for ALL the press. What else did they miss?
This just makes me laugh, honestly. I’m Kenyan, in Nairobi. Chuck and his trusted steed elicited not much more than an eyeroll from most people. Were there large protests? No, because we’re currently dealing with a sh1tty economy and a president who is a pathological liar. What upset me most was that foul woman acting horrified when she was touched by Kenyan women who were only trying to be welcoming. Here’s the thing…culturally, we don’t have it in us to be rude to guests, but I personally am glad they’re gone.
Whenever I see Camilla or Kate or one of the other royal racists flinching in the presence of a Black person, I think not just of the pictures of Diana’s joyful hugs, but of pictures of QEII dancing with Kwame Nkrumah in 1962. 60 years ago, the Real Queen had courtesy and grace that made for a meaningful public moment. What is wrong with these rude people? Do they think this somehow makes them look good? Are they just too befuddled to care?
This should be Camilla’s last trip. Win-win. No one should have to host a mess like this.
Success, how can we paint thy ways?
We didn’t fall over
We didn’t fall over drunk,
When drunk she stayed in the car
We went to the market (but took no money)
The horse fed the elephant,
Ahhhhhh, we allowed black people to touch us!!!
We made sure they could eat food WE wanted to eat
Charlie DIDN’T wear black tie???
We briefed against Harry (again)
There done!!
Now back home for my birthday
Yeah, that about sums it up😂
Charles and Camilla’s Kenyan trip was as successful as Trump’s day on the witness stand yesterday.
That means the Kenyan trip wasn’t successful at all, but it will be spun as a triumph anyway, just like Trump is spinning his disaster on the witness stand as a win.
They live in an alternative reality, with alternative facts.
What made Camilla decide that all that lipstick was a good look for her
Jeez, someone needs to show her how to put on makeup herself, especially lipstick. She looks horrible and older than she really is.
If she is going to use lipstick to make her mouth or lips look more full, at least she needs to use a lighter color and not one that will bleed into the fine lines around her lips.