Basseterre, St. Kitts, November 21, 2016 (SKNIS): His Royal Highness Prince Henry (Harry) of Wales touched down to a red carpet welcome on Sunday, November 20, at the VC Bird International Airport in Antigua aboard a British Airways commercial flight as he begins his 15 day Royal Visit of several Caribbean countries, including St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Barbados, and Guyana.
Prince Harry (32 yrs.), wearing a navy suit, white shirt and light blue tie, was met and greeted at the VC Bird International Airport by His Excellency the Governor General Sir Rodney Williams and Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, the Honourable Gaston Browne. His welcome included a Caribbean Band and Members of the Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force while he inspected a Guard of Honour.
A highlight of Prince Harry’s visit will the participation in the 35thAnniversary of Independence in Antigua and Barbuda and the 50thAnniversary of Independence in Barbados and Guyana.
While in Antigua and Barbuda, His Royal Highness will engage in a Youth Sports Festival at the Sir Vivian Stadium showcasing Antigua and Barbuda’s national sports, and how these can empower and engage young people; he will attend an event at Government House highlighting the important work of a number of charities operating within Antigua and Barbuda; he will attend a reception hosted by the Prime Minister and meet a number of young cultural ambassadors from Antigua and Barbuda; he will visit one of the largest colonies of Frigate Birds in the world, which nests in Barbuda’s mangroves and will get up close to these impressive birds on a boat tour through the mangroves, learning more about their elaborate courtship rituals and migration patterns, as well as how they form an integral part of the Barbuda eco-tourism industry; he will visit the Holy Trinity Primary School and Nursery and will join the school children busy preparing celebrations for the school’s 93rdanniversary of their Founders’ Day; he will also visit the Sir McChesney George High School and learn more about the school’s agricultural practices, whether it be practicing water harvesting, cultivating crops, or poultry farming; and he will unveil a plaque in dedication to the Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy, which will coincide with Antigua’s annual Arbour Day Fair at Queen Victoria Park Botanical Gardens.
Prince Harry’s next stop will be St. Kitts and Nevis on November 23.
Prince Harry will be welcomed and greeted at the Marina at Port Zante, Basseterre, at 9:00 am, by His Excellency the Governor General, Sir Tapley Seaton. The Royal Party will then proceed to the Port Zante Plaza where the Guard of Honour will be drawn up. His Excellency the Governor General will escort His Royal Highness to the Saluting Dais where he will take the salute and inspect the Guard of Honour. Members of the Cabinet, the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly and the Leader of the Opposition will be presented to Prince Harry and he will greet some members of the public.
Prince Harry will then proceed in convoy to the Brimstone Hill Fortress Park for a Youth Rally to begin at 10:30 am. HRH will watch a number of cultural performances all led by the young people of St. Kitts and Nevis at the Park, A UNESCO World Heritage Site. Representatives of schools and several young people, including Chevening Scholars and Special Olympians will be presented to Prince Harry. HRH will also unveil the St. Kitts and Nevis dedication to the Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy Project in the form of a plaque.
Prince Harry’s next engagement will be in Nevis, where the Royal Party will arrive by boat at the Charlestown Dock at 2:30 pm where Prince Harry will have the opportunity to meet the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) and local residents. HRH will then proceed to the Four Seasons Hotel for a reception.
Following HRH’s reception at the Four Seasons Hotel, he will meet volunteers from a Nevis turtle conservation project on Lover’s Beach. Prince Harry will be shown the turtle nesting sites and learn more about Nevis’ conservation efforts to protect these endangered species.
The Royal Party will then return to St. Kitts where Prince Harry will be hosted to an invitations only reception by His Excellency the Governor General at Government House at 6:30 pm.
During HRH Prince Harry’s visit to St. Kitts, an investiture ceremony will be held in the State Room at Government House where former Governor General of St. Kitts and Nevis, His Excellency Sir Edmund Lawrence, will formally receive his knighthood from Prince Harry acting on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen.
As His Royal Highness moves on to other Caribbean island on his Royal Tour, one of the highlights will be a Golden Anniversary Spectacular Mega Concert in Barbados on November 30, which will feature the best of Barbadian talent, from singers and dancers, to orchestras, icons and celebrated entertainers, one of whom will be Rihanna.
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Photo courtesy: Getty Images
