Sunday 20 March 2016

Prince Harry in Nepal: Day Two

Prince Harry promised his hosts in Nepal that he would use his visit to their country to shine a spotlight on the aftermath of the earthquake last year which killed over 8,000 people. And today he did just that and came face to face with the human cost of this devastating natural disaster which injured tens of thousands more and left families homeless.


Prince Harry hears about the work of the Red Cross in Nepal following last year's earthquake
(photo @KensingtonRoyal Twitter)

The day began with a trip to some of the most famous and treasured historic sites in Kathmandu, some of which had been damaged by the earthquake. Prince Harry headed to Patan Durbar Square, a UNESCO World Heritage site, where he was given a tour of some of the most well known landmarks including the Ancient Royal Palace and the Golden Temple.



A photo posted by Kensington Palace (@kensingtonroyal) on


This wasn't all sight seeing. Harry saw the effects of the quake and then settled down for a royal attempt at repairing ancient wood carvings - presumably, he'd been given the beginners' set to deal with as his laughter showed he wasn't making the biggest success of it.







Then it was time to leave the capital and head to Bhaktapur to hear more about how the 2015 earthquakes affected the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. Harry visited a UK funded project in the area which stored supplies to help those hit by the devastation. He heard about the work of the Red Cross there - relief efforts still continue today.




Perhaps the most poignant part of the whole day came when Harry travelled to the Buyansi camp which provides temporary accommodation for over 250 people who are still trying to rebuild their lives and find somewhere to live following the quake. The prince was given a tour by 15 year old Purushottam Suwal and spoke to many of those being sheltered right now. Their lives are hard and Harry was clearly moved by their stories.





Day two also contained some politics as Harry's first engagement had been an audience with the President of Nepal, Bidhya Devi Bhandari, who is the first woman to hold the office. They talked about the summit being held in Nepal later this week which Harry will attend and which will focus on ending forced marriage and early marriage. Harry told President Bhandari that he is looking forward to opening the summit later this week.




That will be towards the end of his tour. In the meantime, there is plenty more to get through. Day three will include a visit to Bardia National Park and Banke National Park and a chance to see the largest tiger conservation area in Asia. There will also be some rafting on the Khauraha River, a trek in the foothills of the Himalayas and a meeting with some Gurkhas and their families. It promises to be another packed day on a tour that is already turning out to be a success and then some judging by the reaction the prince has got on his travels so far.



Harry has attracted huge crowds and hit the front pages of many of the newspapers in Nepal today as the tour really got into full swing.




And with plenty of big moments still to come, there's lots to look foward to as Harry in Nepal continues.

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