Prince Henry of Wales ‘Harry’ paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister KP Oli in Baluwatar on Saturday, after arriving on a five-day official visit to Nepal.
Prince Henry of Wales ‘Harry’ paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister KP Oli in Baluwatar on Saturday, after arriving on a five-day official visit to Nepal.
During the half-an-hour meeting, PM Oli and Prince Harry discussed on Nepal-UK diplomatic relations. The 32-year-old prince has arrived as a representative of Queen Elizabeth of the UK to mark the bicentenary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. According to PM’s secretariat, Harry lauded the role of Gurkha soldiers in the British Army during the meeting.
Later in the evening, Deputy Prime Minister Kamal Thapa hosted a welcome ceremony for Harry at Hotel Yak and Yeti. “I am deeply honoured and excited to be here... this [is a] visit on behalf of Her Majesty to celebrate 200 years of relations between our countries,” the Prince said during his first interaction with the public at Yak and Yeti. “I'm sure you hear this all the time, but your country holds a special place in the imagination for so many people.”
Hearty welcome to HRH Prince Henry of Wales, UK to Nepal. Wish you a pleasant stay pic.twitter.com/cLS7kaJlsb
Expressing his grief over the damage done by the April 25 earthquake last year, Prince Harry said, “I know that I arrive in Nepal as you approach the first anniversary of the earthquakes that took so many lives. I pay my respects to those who perished and hope to do what I can to shine a spotlight on the resilience of the Nepali people.”
“I want to show all those around the world who want to help that this country is open for business,” Prince Harry said. “I can't wait to get out there and see all that this country has to offer.”
Prince Harry arrived in Kathmandu on Saturday afternoon leading a 35-member delegation which included the UK’s Minister of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Hugo Swire. The fifth in line for the British throne is scheduled to visit earthquake-affected areas and also travel to Bardiya and Pokhara for sightseeing and trekking. Sources say that the Prince will spend a night at the house of an 86-year-old widow of a Gurkha veteran in Lamjung during his trek in Pokhara and nearby areas.
This is the first time the British royal is visiting Nepal. Queen Elizabeth has visited Nepal twice during her reign in 1961 and in 1968 while her husband Prince Philip had visited Nepal in 2000.
19.12°C Kathmandu
