Queen Camilla in awkward gaffe in Kenya as she runs out of cash

The Queen had an awkward moment visiting a temporary market in Nairobi when she ran out of money to pay for her "rather large haul".

Getty
Cameron Walker

By Cameron Walker


Published: 02/11/2023

- 16:02

Updated: 02/11/2023

- 17:27

Royal aide took details of the stall holders to pay them later

The Queen had an awkward moment visiting a temporary market in Nairobi when she ran out of money to pay for her "rather large haul".

Her Majesty was visiting the equine charity Brooke East Africa, where a number of souvenirs caught her eye.


Jewellery, blankets, some cashew butter and a basket were all bought from the stall owners at the Nairobi sanctuary, spending 4,000 Kenyan shillings.

But by the time Queen Camilla bought a blanket from one of the stalls, she only had enough cash to pay for half of it.

Queen Camilla

By the time Queen Camilla bought a blanket from one of the stalls, she only had enough cash to pay for half of it.

PA

The Queen's aide quickly took details of the stall holders to pay them later.

Embroidered with giraffe pictures, Her Majesty wore an Anna Valentine dress for the visit.

The King and Queen are on a four-day State Visit to Kenya, visiting Nairobi and Mombasa.

On Wednesday, the great-grandson of a Kenyan tribal leader, executed by British rulers in 1905, said his personal meeting with King Charles shows progress.

Queen Camilla

The Queen's aide quickly took details of the stall holders to pay them later.

PA

The tribal leader's great-grandson, Ambrose Tarus, met King Charles in Nairobi - one of several relatives and survivors present who fought for Kenya's independence, and were tortured, injured or killed by British leaders.

King Charles "listened to accounts of that violence" according to Buckingham Palace, something His Majesty's Deputy Private Secretary, Chris Fitzgerald, had promised.

Last month, Mr Fitzgerald said: "His Majesty will take time during the visit to deepen his understanding of the wrongs suffered in this period by the people of Kenya."

After Wednesday's historic meeting, Ambrose Tarus told the Reuters news agency: "[King Charles] seems to understand what the problem was, and that's progress for me...and going forward I am hopeful it will bear good fruits."

WATCH NOW: Queen Camilla in Kenya

King Charles

The King and Queen are on a four-day State Visit to Kenya, visiting Nairobi and Mombasa.

Reuters

An estimated 90,000 Kenyans were killed or maimed and a further 160,000 were detained and subject to torture during the Mau Mau uprising from 1952-1960, according to the Kenyan Human Rights Commission.

King Charles spoke of his "deepest regret" for the "unjustifiable acts of violence" during his speech at the State Banquet in Nairobi on Tuesday, but stopped short of a full apology.

It is thought the British Government's position is a modern-day administration is not legally liable for acts committed by colonial governments more than half a century ago.

Government ministers would have to approve a full apology included in any speech delivered by the monarch, it is understood.

A decade ago, the United Kingdom paid out close to £20 million in an out-of-court settlement to more than 5,200 Kenyan survivors and expressed "regret" for the suffering.

You may like