Prince Charles and his wife Camilla arrived in Rwanda Tuesday evening ahead of the main sessions of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in the capital Kigali.

The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall landed at Kigali International Airport at around 8:45p.m.

Their royal highnesses’ maiden trip to Rwanda had earlier Tuesday been confirmed by their office. "The Prince and The Duchess will arrive in Kigali today for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting,” a brief statement posted on their official twitter handle @ClarenceHouse reads in part.

"CHOGM2022 convenes leaders from the 54 Commonwealth countries to reaffirm common values and agree on policies to improve the lives of its 2.5 billion citizens,” it adds.

His Royal Highness Prince Charles was received by Johnson Busingye, the Ambassador of Rwanda in the UK at Kigali International Airport on Tuesday, June 21,2022. Photo by Olivier Mugwiza

According to the Political, Communications and Programmes Officer at the British High Commission in Kigali, Robert Kamuratsi, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall will on Wednesday visit the Kigali Genocide Memorial. There, the will lay a wreath in honour of the victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, and sign the memorial gust book.

Prince Charles is also today expected to travel to Bugesera for several engagements, including visits to Ntarama Genocide Memorial, as well as a reconciliation village and an agricultural project, according to Kamuratsi.

"My wife and I much look forward to meeting Commonwealth leaders and, for the first time, being able to visit Rwanda,” Prince Charles said in a statement earlier this month.

The Prince of Wales said that, "over the years, I have learned a great deal from the ideas, concerns and aspirations which people across the Commonwealth have so generously shared. I have been struck, time and again, by how many common threads there are between us.”

He also outlined some of the most pressing global issues that need urgent attention, including climate change; supporting biodiversity and the regeneration of land; economic development; opportunities for the young; and gender equality.

"Too many members of the Commonwealth are amongst the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries. As two out of three Commonwealth citizens are under the age of thirty there is a pressing need to find opportunities for our young people.

"Taking shared responsibility to solve problems like these means the Commonwealth has the potential to make a profound difference in the lives of its citizens - and, in so doing, to be an unparalleled force for good in our world.”

Prince Charles will use the opportunity to listen and continue to learn about some of the key issues that the countries of the Commonwealth face, according to the press release added.

Addressing the last CHOGM in London in 2018, The Queen, the Head of the Commonwealth, said, "We are one of the world’s great convening powers: a global association of volunteers who believe in the tangible benefits that flow from exchanging ideas and experiences and respecting each other’s point of view.”

Commonwealth leaders meet for CHOGM every two years although this is the first time they’re convening since 2018, thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic. This year’s edition is running under the theme, ‘Delivering a Common Future: Connecting, Innovating, Transforming.’

Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall interacts with Omar Daair, the British High Commissioner to Rwanda on their arrival at Kigali International Airport on Tuesday ,June 21. Photo by Olivier Mugwiza