PRINCE Charles and Camilla made an emotional visit to a mass grave and memorial for 250,000 victims slaughtered in the Rwandan genocide.
The Prince of Wales, 73, today landed with the Duchess of Cornwall, 74 – becoming the first members of the royal family to visit Rwanda.
And it comes just days after the prince allegedly branded the government’s decision to deport asylum seekers to the African country “appalling”.
They started a three-day tour by laying a wreath at the Kigali Genocide Memorial where 250,000 of the 800,000 killed in the 1994 genocide are laid to rest – including children.
Charles and Camilla will then meet Rwanda President Paul Kagama and first lady Jeannette Kagame.
At Nyamata Genocide Church where Tutsis hid before they were massacred by Hutus they will see clothing, personal artifacts and remains of some of those killed.
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More than 45,000 Tutsis are in mass graves by the church.
And they will meet six perpetrators and survivors who now live side by side at the Mbyo Reconciliation Village.
Sources close to the royal couple will describe how they felt at the genocide afterwards but believed they likely be “touched and emotional”.
And the couple will open the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm) on behalf of the Queen, 96, during a four-day trip.
It comes just days after judges at the European Court of Human Rights stopped the British government from flying asylum seekers to Rwanda.
Charles is said to have privately slammed the policy as “appalling” sparking a migrant row.
Sources close to the future king deny he has attempted to lobby the government.
The Prince of Wales is set to meet face-to-face with Boris Johnson – who is jetting out for Chogm – for the first time since his private remarks.
Sources close to Charles admit the timing of the royal visit for Chogm – which was delayed for two years due to Covid-19 – is “awkward” due to the controversy surrounding the flights.
Camilla will also give a speech combating violence against women and the royal couple will also attend a fashion show.
Boris and Charles are set to meet tomorrow before Chogm is officially opened 24 hours later with all 54 leaders of the Commonwealth being treated to an address by Prince Charles.
The mass slaughter of hundreds of thousands of Tutsi people lasted a period of around 100 days.
The atrocious killings occurred between April 7 and July 15, 1994, during the Rwandan Civil War and saw the minority ethnic groups of the Tutsi, some moderate Hutu and Twa groups slaughtered by armed militias and civilians.
