LOOK: Prince Charles and wife arrival in Rwanda for Commonwealth Summit met with mixed reaction

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall Charles and Camilla. Picture: Official Royal Family/Facebook

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall Charles and Camilla. Picture: Official Royal Family/Facebook

Published Jun 22, 2022

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Cape Town - The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall Charles and Camilla arrived in Rwanda late on Tuesday evening ahead of a summit of Commonwealth leaders.

It was his first ever royal visit to Rwanda.

President Paul Kagame and First Lady Jeannette Kagame received Prince Charles and Duchess of Cornwall Camilla at Village Urugwiro. According to the Office of the President, they discussed existing partnerships and areas of mutual interest, the New Times reports.

But there has been mixed reaction on social media to the future king of England’s arrival in Kigali, with many criticising the Commonwealth saying that the body simply is not effective in solving critical issues that member states are currently facing.

The Prince of Wales met survivors and perpetrators of the Rwandan Genocide ahead of a summit of Commonwealth leaders on Wednesday.

Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall visited a memorial and church outside the capital Kigali where the remains of victims are buried.

In 1994, ethnic Hutu extremists slaughtered hundreds of thousands of members of the Tutsi community.

The trip marks the first royal visit to Rwanda.

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall arrived in Rwanda on Tuesday night - one of a minority of nations the Queen has not visited.

According to German news broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) Prince Charles has reportedly privately described the British government’s plans to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda as “appalling”, two media reports said.

Earlier this month, Prince Charles was reportedly said to have been concerned that the controversial asylum policy will overshadow the Commonwealth meeting summit, The Times reported.

A spokesperson for Charles underlined that he had expressed personal opinions in private, writes DW.

Prince Charles is representing the Queen, the head of the Commonwealth, at the event, which was postponed in 2021 and 2020 because of the pandemic, the British news broadcaster reported.

Commonwealth interests

The Commonwealth takes an interest in a wide variety of issues. These range from climate change and deforestation to gender equality, international development, good governance, human rights and the rule of law.

However, this broad scope often represents both a strength and a weakness, says analysts.

Philip Murphy, the Director of the Institute of Commonwealth Studies and Professor of British and Commonwealth History, School of Advanced Study says the Commonwealth finds it almost impossible to focus its activities on one or two major issues where it could make a genuine difference.

“Whereas the more affluent countries of the Commonwealth have tended to favour a focus on trade and good governance, the less affluent have stressed the need to address global inequality and promote development.”

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