The beachcomber prince - Harry in St Kitts and Nevis on day four of his Caribbean tour
(photo Kensington Palace Instagram)
Prince Harry began the next phase of his Caribbean tour in the same way that he had ended part one - beneath the Queen's Commonwealth Canopy. The prince arrived in St Kitts and Nevis on November 23rd, just hours after dedicating part of the forest in Antigua and Barbuda to the canopy and one of his duties in St Kitts was to do the same there. It was a packed stop for Harry as day four of his Caribbean tour unfolded.
It began with an official welcome led by the Governor General, Sir Tapley Seaton, at Port Zante where Harry inspected the ceremonial Guard of Honour laid on to meet him and then met some of the huge crowds waiting for his arrival.
Fantastic crowds out in St Kitts to greet Prince Harry #RoyalVisitStKitts pic.twitter.com/bXbwnaJcPN— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) November 23, 2016
Kensington Palace shared video of the massive welcome laid on for Harry - his car journey to Brimstone Hill Fortress for a youth rally was along roads lined with people trying to catch a glimpse of the prince. This tour hasn't been popular with some people in the Caribbean, with #notmyprince trending regularly on social media in the run up to Harry's arrival, but the response so far has been big and welcoming.
Brimstone is a UNESCO heritage site, set 800 feet above sea level, and Harry was given another huge reception as he arrived to see dance and hear poems and songs in an event led by the young people of the island.
Brimstone is also the site of St Kitts and Nevis contribution to the Queen's Commonwealth Canopy and Harry unveiled a plaque marking its entry into this scheme.
This was also the setting for Harry's big speech of the day where he read a message from the Queen and told his audience that he felt 'incredibly lucky' to be in St Kitts and Nevis on her behalf. The prince also spoke of the beauty of the forests that are now part of the Queen's Canopy, describing them as ''truly amazing''.
The environment was the focus of the next part of Harry's visit as he lost his jacket and tie and made his way to Nevis, again through big crowds and arriving to an impressive turnout.
Making friends in Nevis 👋🏻 #RoyalVisitStKitts pic.twitter.com/kLjTw704e0— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) November 23, 2016
Harry was visiting Lover's Beach, although everyone managed to avoid making references to honeymoons and new princesses which had cause the royal visitor to blush during his stop in Antigua. Harry was there to see a turtle conservation project.
The Nevis Turtle Group is working to protect the animals and hopes to establish a Sea Turtle Conservation Programme in the country. Harry heard about their work and then joined in, sitting on the beach to help release young turtles into the water.
Prince Harry releases nested turtles out into the wild at Lovers Beach in Nevis 🐢 #RoyalVisitStKitts pic.twitter.com/nS7s04doap— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) November 23, 2016
In the deeper sands of the beach, Prince Harry was given a lesson in inspecting turtle nests by some of those running the group.
Prince Harry inspects the turtle nests along the beach in Nevis, many of which can include up to 500 turtle eggs per nest #RoyalVisitStKitts pic.twitter.com/rtbYL0G5Zy— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) November 23, 2016
The evening was all about formality with another jacket making an appearance as Harry headed to Government House for a reception hosted by the Governor General.
The prince presented honours and got a chance to meet more people from the local community, including some from youth organisations, on a quiet and calm evening beneath beautiful skies. It was a serene end to a busy day.
Harry spent just 24 hours in St Kitts and Nevis - on November 24th he will arrive in St Lucia for the next stop on his Caribbean tour.
You can keep up to date with all the details from Harry's tour on the special page here.
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