The Royal family’s four-day visit to Kenya in October 2023 was the most costly overseas trip undertaken by the monarch, according to the latest data from the Royal Household’s annual financial statement.
The report, titled the Sovereign Grant Report, details the expenditure of funds allocated to support the monarch’s official duties during the financial year 2023/24. According to the report, the royal family spent £167,000 (approximately Ksh.28.5 million at the current exchange rate) on the Kenya trip alone.
Overall, the Royal family expended £368,000 (around Ksh.62.9 million) on international travel, which included two state visits (to Kenya and France) and two trips funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). The FCDO also funded King Charles III’s visit to COP 28 in the United Arab Emirates and Princess Royal’s attendance at a state funeral in Namibia.
The state visit to France by King Charles and Queen Camilla was the second most expensive trip, costing £123,000 (Ksh.21 million). This was followed by Princess Royal’s trip to Sri Lanka, which cost £48,000 (Ksh.8.2 million), and Prince of Wales’ trip to Kuwait, costing £30,000 (Ksh.5.1 million).
A state visit is a formal visit by a head of state to another country at the invitation of the host’s president. King Charles and Queen Camilla’s state visit to Kenya from October 31, 2023, to November 3, 2023, was intended to underscore the bilateral relationship between the two nations
. This visit also marked King Charles’ first visit to a Commonwealth country as King, just ahead of Kenya’s 60th independence anniversary on December 12, 2023.
During the visit, the Royal family toured Nairobi, Mombasa and surrounding areas. They also toured the National museum which highlighted Kenya’s history, visited the site of the declaration of Kenya’s independence in 1963 and laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior at Uhuru Gardens.
Other places visited comprised the United Nations Office in Nairobi, Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery, Nairobi National Park and Mtongwe Naval Base in Mombasa to witness Kenya Marines in action.
