What King Charles Said in High Stakes Colonialism Speech

King Charles III swerved calls to make a full apology for colonialism in a closely watched speech in Kenya, potentially inflaming already tense relationships between the monarchy and younger generations in the U.K. and the countries that once made up the British Empire.

The king and Queen Camilla traveled to Kenya to mark 60 years since the country's independence from British rule, an anniversary that carries echoes of past atrocities. The palace had indicated that the king would tackle head-on the more difficult aspects of the the shared history of Britain and Kenya.

Between 1952 and independence in 1963, 90,000 Kenyans were either executed, tortured or injured during an uprising known as the Mau Mau rebellion. The official death toll stood at more than 10,000.

Britain has long acknowledged the mistreatment of the Mau Mau by the British administration in Kenya and paid compensation out of court to more than 5,000 survivors of British camps, but it has never apologized or accepted that the modern day government is legally liable.

"It is the intimacy of our shared history that has brought our people together," King Charles told a state banquet at State House, in Nairobi, on October 31. "However, we must also acknowledge the most painful times of our long and complex relationship.

"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.

"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."

The Mau Mau rebellion wasn't without controversy and included attacks on settlers and Kenyan civilians, including women and children, according to Britain's Imperial War Museum.

However, King Charles' speech reflected the fact the British government has come to recognize the rebellion as a product of "a painful struggle for independence and sovereignty."

His speech didn't broach new ground not already covered by former Foreign Secretary William Hague in 2013, at the time Britain settled a civil case brought against it by Mau Mau survivors.

The visit has shown a willingness on the king's part to tackle the issue of colonialism in a context where countries in the Caribbean that count him as king, such as Jamaica, have signaled a desire to break with monarchy.

The monarchy is also under pressure at home in Britain where hostility to the royals appears to be growing among Gen Z.

Charles has expressed "sorrow"—without saying "sorry"—in relation to Britain's difficult past before, meaning his latest comments may struggle to move the needle.

While the two words may appear very similar, the key difference is that "sorrow" does not accept culpability, while "sorry" appears to acknowledge British responsibility for the past.

The precursor to Charles' latest speech was one made in parliament by Hague in 2013, when Britain settled civil claims brought by the Mau Mau: "The British Government recognises that Kenyans were subject to torture and other forms of ill treatment at the hands of the colonial administration.

"The British Government sincerely regrets that these abuses took place, and that they marred Kenya's progress towards independence. Torture and ill treatment are abhorrent violations of human dignity which we unreservedly condemn.

"We continue to deny liability on behalf of the Government and British taxpayers today for the actions of the colonial administration in respect of the claims, and indeed the courts have made no finding of liability against the Government in this case.

"We do not believe that claims relating to events that occurred overseas outside direct British jurisdiction more than 50 years ago can be resolved satisfactorily through the courts without the testimony of key witnesses that is no longer available.

"It is therefore right that the Government has defended the case to this point since 2009. It is of course right that those who feel they have a case are free to bring it to the courts.

"However we will also continue to exercise our own right to defend claims brought against the Government. And we do not believe that this settlement establishes a precedent in relation to any other former British colonial administration."

Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on X, formerly Twitter, at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.

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