The 1869 Royal Visit: Zanzibar's Duke of Edinburgh

In 1869, a British royal—Prince Alfred, the Duke of Edinburgh—sailed into Stone Town harbor aboard HMS Galatea. His visit was meant to strengthen Anglo-Zanzibari ties, but it also exposed the tensions of the Busaidi sultanate under Majid bin Said. This episode follows the prince's ten-day stay: the lavish banquets at Mtoni Palace, the tense negotiations over the slave trade, and the unexpected arrival of a French rival, all set against the backdrop of the widening Suez Canal. We explore how the duke's presence reshaped Zanzibar's diplomatic dance—and why a seemingly trivial royal tour became a turning point for the clove island's place in the Indian Ocean world. Featuring the Khoja merchant Tharia Topan, Sultan Majid's fragile authority, and the first formal British call to end Zanzibar's slave trade. #Zanzibar #DukeOfEdinburgh #PrinceAlfred #MajidBinSaid #RoyalVisit #StoneTown #MtoniPalace #SuezCanal #SlaveTrade #BritishEmpire #IndianOcean #ThariaTopan #Busaidi #HMSGalatea #Khoja #SwahiliCoast #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo