The Prince of Wales is set to meet Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, on Friday in Rwanda as both men attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2022 in Kigali. The meeting comes after it was reported that Prince Charles recently criticised Johnson and his Government for their Rwanda asylum policy.
Prince Charles allegedly described the Government’s policy of sending asylum seekers to Rwanda as “appalling”. Commenting on the alleged remarks, Boris Johnson recently said that there was no evidence The Prince of Wales had made these remarks.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesperson commented, “They are due to meet, obviously they will encounter each other during the summit, but they are due to have a bilateral discussion as well.”
Before departing for Rwanda, Boris Johnson spoke of the Government’s new asylum policy, “Clearly I’m going to Rwanda and this is an opportunity for us all to see the country with whom we now have this very important economic and migration partnership. And perhaps to help others to shed some of these condescending attitudes towards Rwanda and how that partnership might work.”
The Prince of Wales arrived in Rwanda at the start of the week alongside The Duchess of Cornwall. He and Camilla have already undertaken a series of engagements including a poignant visit to the Nyamata Church Genocide Memorial where they saw rows of skulls from victims of the 1994 massacre as well as hearing stories from survivors. More than 10,000 people were murdered over two days and in the grounds of the church, the remains of more than 45,000 people killed in the church compound are buried.
Prince Charles and The Duchess of Cornwall also met with Rwandan President, Paul Kagame, and his wife and toured the Mbyo village, dubbed the ‘Reconciliation Village’, which was built in 2005 and sees Tutsis and Hutus successfully live and work together.
Clarence House confirmed that Prince Charles and Boris Johnson will meet for a “cup of tea and a catch up.”