Last October, Kenya welcomed King Charles III and Queen Camilla for a state visit. For many, King Charles’ trip was particularly poignant, as Kenya is the country in which Queen Elizabeth II’s reign began, having acceded to the throne in February 1952 and it is the first Commonwealth country that His Majesty visited as King.
During their visit, the King and Queen’s engagements reflected the ways in which Kenya and the UK continue to work together, particularly in respect to tackling climate change, promoting youth opportunity and employment, and advancing sustainable development.
Following the King and Queen’s recent visit to Kenya, we thought that it was high time we published the third chapter of ‘Felicia’s Family History in Kenya’ – with Jane Collie, Felicia’s mother, recalling her time with the former Prince of Wales:
“After King Charles and Queen Camilla’s recent visit to Kenya, it brought back memories of our meeting not long after I had returned from Kenya myself many years ago.
“I knew Charles had played polo on one of his past visits in Kenya. My family has always been heavily entwined in the equestrian sports, be it racing, hunting and eventing, but the big love for my family was polo.
“My grandfather played in 1930 with Louis Mountbatten and Prince George (who later became King George VI).
“My brother David was actively playing when I left for Kenya, and I often went to watch at Cirencester Polo Club. On returning from my whirlwind tour of Kenya I managed to secure a job at Guards Polo where I had the dubious and slightly bogus position of Assistant Manager, having been elevated very quickly from Secretary due to my lack of typing skills!
“From there, I would often meet King Charles and we formed a friendship, which spanned decades as a result of our shared love of horses – later meeting again out hunting with all the shire packs. King Charles even coveted my amazing Hunter Rockstar (Rocky), but that’s another story!”
