Kenya is later this year scheduled to become the first Commonwealth country to host King Charles III for his inaugural major visit abroad following his coronation on May 6, 2023.
According to UK media outlets, King Charles III is expected to make a trip to Nairobi during autumn, which in the UK falls between Thursday September 1, to Wednesday November 30.
The significant foreign trip by the head of the British royal family is set to be his first official tour abroad in a bid to prioritize the strengthening of the Commonwealth during his rule.
Kenya is significant in the Royal Family history as it is where the King’s mother, Queen Elizabeth, rose to the throne on learning of the death of her father, King George IV, in 1952.
Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, who was born on April 21, 1926, was visiting the Treetops Hotel in Kenya when her father, George VI, died on February 6, 1952 and she became queen.
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She arrived in Nairobi on February 1, 1952 and had been residing at Sagana Lodge but was forced to return to the UK through the Entebbe Airport following the news of her accession.
The infamous Mombasa tusks monument erected along Moi Avenue in Mombasa County, were initially constructed to commemorate the late Queen Elizabeth's 1952 visit to Kenya.
After Kenya became a republic, the Queen briefly visited on March 26, 1972 and October 7, 1991 and a made state visit on November 10-14, 1983 hosted by President Daniel arap Moi.
At age 25, Elizabeth became Queen of the UK and the Commonwealth, consisting of 56 countries, to become the longest serving British monarch in history until her death on
September 8, 2022.
King Charles was slated to make his first visit abroad to France in March 2023 but it was cancelled last-minute by President Emmanuel Macron due to mass strikes and social unrest.