King Charles is going on an official visit to Kenya this week. He is expected to make comments acknowledging the painful colonial past between the UK and Kenya, along with other African former colonies. While the King is expected to make these comments, he will likely simply acknowledge the history and a sense of regret but will fall short of apologizing. In recent years, many activists in former British colonies like Kenya have called for an apology from the crown and the government and reparations to those affected by the colonial past. The British government wants to avoid paying reparations and thus must avoid using language that directly accepts blame for the horrible atrocities that took place under the colonial system. If the King does issue a direct apology, then it will create a new precedence which could lead to further apologies from other British institutions and officials, along with apologies from other former colonial powers. Furthermore, if the King does apologize or even just admits regret for the colonial past, this will affect the way future royal visits work to former colonial possessions. If the King speaks one way in Kenya, he must keep that rhetoric going in every other speech he does. It is expected that the King will likely make some kind of statement simply because it is what is expected of him. While the late Queen was often revered in former colonies and wasn’t pressured as much to make apologetic statements, the King has not been given the same luxury with personal attacks being lodged against him. It is now important to decide, based on this Kenya visit, how he wants to change the conversations about both Africa and him as King. He has the opportunity to completely change the rhetoric used by the crown regarding former colonial possessions but also has the chance to maintain the status quo.
In Kenya, King Charles Will ‘Walk a Tightrope’ on Britain’s Past - The New York Times
By: Ben Pienkos
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