By Marisa Laudadio
4:00am PDT, Nov 3, 2023
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On Oct. 31, 2023, Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla kicked off a four-day state visit to Kenya marking their first tour of a Commonwealth country since Charles took the throne in 2022.
But it's steeped in controversy amid growing calls for the monarch to formally apologize for Britain's abuses during the African nation's colonial era as Kenya approaches its 60th anniversary of independence later in 2023.
When the visit was confirmed, Buckingham Palace confirmed that Charles would "acknowledge the more painful aspects of the U.K. and Kenya's shared history" during the trip, but there are growing calls for more than just an acknowledgement.
Join us as we take a look at the best photos from the state visit, starting with this shot…
Queen Camilla met with local vendors and spent time with animals — including a rescue dog named Bobby who wore an adorable tuxedo-style bib for the occasion — at a farmers market at the Kenya Society for the Protection and Care for Animals (KSPCA) in Nairobi on Nov. 1, 2023, day two of her state visit to Kenya with King Charles III.
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Community members presented Queen Camilla with a shuka — a Maasai blanket crafted in vibrant colors — at the Kenya Society for the Protection and Care for Animals (KSPCA) in Nairobi on Nov. 1, 2023, day two of her state visit to Kenya with King Charles III.
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Queen Camilla bottle fed an orphaned elephant calf during a visit to Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Elephant Orphanage in Nairobi National Park in Kenya, where she learned about the trust's work in the conservation and preservation of wildlife and protected areas across the country, on Nov. 1, 2023 — day two of her state visit to Kenya with King Charles III.
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King Charles III and Queen Camilla met a baby rhinoceros during a visit to Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Elephant Orphanage in Nairobi National Park in Kenya, where they learned about the trust's work in the conservation and preservation of wildlife and protected areas across the country, on Nov. 1, 2023 — day two of their state visit to Kenya.
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King Charles III watched the elephants during a visit to Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Elephant Orphanage in Nairobi National Park in Kenya, where he learned about the trust's work in the conservation and preservation of wildlife and protected areas across the country, on Nov. 1, 2023 — day two of his state visit to Kenya.
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King Charles III gave a speech at a state banquet hosted by Kenya's President Ruto at State House in Nairobi, Kenya, on Oct. 31, 2023.
From the podium, Charles told Kenya's president and 350 guests, "It is the intimacy of our shared history that has brought our people together. However, we must also acknowledge the most painful times of our long and complex relationship," DailyMail.com reported. "The wrongdoings of the past are a cause of the greatest sorrow and the deepest regret. There were abhorrent and unjustifiable acts of violence committed against Kenyans as they waged, as you said at the United Nations, a painful struggle for independence and sovereignty — and for that, there can be no excuse."
The king continued, "In coming back to Kenya, it matters greatly to me that I should deepen my own understanding of these wrongs, and that I meet some of those whose lives and communities were so grievously affected. None of this can change the past. But by addressing our history with honesty and openness we can, perhaps, demonstrate the strength of our friendship today. And, in so doing, we can, I hope, continue to build an ever-closer bond for the years ahead."
However, he did not issue a direct apology, which DailyMail.com noted carries greater legal culpability and must be approved by the U.K. government.
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Britain's Queen Camilla and King Charles III posed alongside Kenya's President William Ruto and first lady Rachel Ruto in front of the Mugumo Tree — a fig tree that was planted on the site of the declaration of Kenya's independence from Britain in 1963 — on Oct. 31, 2023, during the first day of the royals' state visit to Kenya.
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Queen Camilla attended a state banquet hosted by Kenya's President William Ruto at State House in Nairobi, Kenya, on Oct. 31, 2023.
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King Charles III walked past a guard of honor during the Ceremonial Welcome at State House in Nairobi, Kenya, on Oct. 31, 2023. The monarch's four-day tour of the African nation with Queen Camilla took place at the invitation of Kenya's President William Ruto to celebrate the relationship between the two countries as Kenya prepares to commemorate 60 years of independence from Britain.
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Britain's Queen Camilla and King Charles III joined William Ruto, president of the Republic of Kenya, and Rachel Ruto, first lady of the Republic of Kenya, before a state banquet hosted by the president at State House in Nairobi, Kenya, on Oct. 31, 2023.
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Britain's King Charles III posed with secondary school students during his visit to the Eastlands Library in Nairobi, Kenya, on Oct. 31, 2023, on the first day of a four-day state visit to the African country.
This trip marked the first official state visit by Their Majesties to an African nation and the first to a Commonwealth member state since their coronation.
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Queen Camilla and Kenya's first lady, Rachel Ruto, planted trees during a ceremonial welcome at State House in Nairobi on Oct. 31, 2023, the first day of Camilla and King Charles III's state visit to the African nation.
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King Charles III visited an urban farm project — Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital's City Shamba — in Nairobi, Kenya, on Oct. 31, 2023. The project demonstrated how food production can be carried out in densely populated urban spaces through regenerative agricultural practice and use of recycled materials.
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Queen Camilla smiled as she arrived for her engagements inside Eastlands Library in Nairobi, Kenya, where she met the founders of Book Bunk, a charity that restores public libraries, on Oct. 31, 2023.
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King Charles III visited an urban farm project — Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital's City Shamba — in Nairobi, Kenya, on Oct. 31, 2023, where he inspected snails. The project demonstrated how food production can be carried out in densely populated urban spaces through regenerative agricultural practice and use of recycled materials.
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King Charles III and the President of the Republic of Kenya William Ruto posed inside State House in Nairobi, Kenya, on Oct. 31, 2023, on the first day of the monarch's four-day royal tour of Kenya.
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Queen Camilla read "Lion and Mouse" to young people during her visit to Eastlands Library in Nairobi, Kenya, where she met the founders of Book Bunk, a charity that restores public libraries, on Oct. 31, 2023.
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Queen Camilla greeted children during her visit to Eastlands Library in Nairobi, Kenya, where she met the founders of Book Bunk, a charity that restores public libraries, on Oct. 31, 2023.
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King Charles III talked to Peter Scott about his electric cooker at a tech and innovation showcase at Nairobi Garages in Nairobi, Kenya, where the monarch met young technology entrepreneurs on Oct. 31, 2023.
