King Charles III
Environmentalists give him a plastic throne
The king and his new chair: Charles happily accepted the unusual present.
© getty/Tim Rooke/Pool/Samir Hussein/WireImage
King Charles already has plenty of chairs in his many residences. But during his state visit to Kenya he received a truly unique piece.
A month of work for Charles’ new throne
Environmental activists unveiled a throne they made from recycled plastic in bright sunshine at Mombasa’s Nyali Beach. The non-profit organization Flipflopi uses many items – from plastic bottles to flip-flops – to be transformed into new products. A seven-ton traditional sailing dhow was even made entirely from waste found on the beach. As the British “Daily Mail” reported, it took the group a month to design the traditional Swahili chair for Charles. The throne was presented to the monarch in gratitude for a grant from the British government worth 700,000 pounds (around 803,000 euros). This enabled the group to collect up to 15 tonnes of plastic per month and run its own recycling factory.
Project co-founder praises the king as “visionary”
Project co-founder Dipesh Pabari highlighted Charles’ campaign to raise awareness about marine plastic. He started this more than 50 years ago, when the topic was still considered eccentric. “In fact, he was absolutely visionary and absolutely right,” he said. The throne incorporates many influences from Swahili culture, with detailed cutouts made from recycled bottle caps and other plastic remnants that would once have been made of ivory. Charles – dressed casually in a light suit and sunglasses – posed laughing next to his new gift. But he preferred to sit on a solid wooden chair.
The British royals are visiting the East African country at the invitation of its President William Ruto (56) to celebrate relations between the two countries. The official occasion is the 60th anniversary of the country’s independence from the British Empire. It is Charles’ first state visit to a Commonwealth country since his coronation in May 2023. At an official state banquet on the first day, King Charles fulfilled expectations as hoped to comment on the country’s time as a British crown colony from 1920 to 1963 , and the preceding British rule over the so-called “East Africa Protectorate”. In his speech, he condemned in clear terms the tyranny of the then British rulers, to which thousands of people fell victim.
Mombasa appointments on the last day
On the fourth and final day, Charles visited the Mandhry Mosque and the Memoria Catherdal in Mombasa on the morning of November 3rd. Meanwhile, his wife Camilla talked to women who had been victims of sexual violence in the so-called Situation Room.