National
Harry soaks up Nepali culture
After arriving in Kathmandu, British Prince Harry, during a welcome reception in the Capital on Saturday evening, had said he looked forward to exploring Nepal’s landscapes and celebrating Nepali culture and that he hoped to make many new friends along the way. “I cannot wait to get out and see all that this country has to offer,” he had said.After arriving in Kathmandu, British Prince Harry, during a welcome reception in the Capital on Saturday evening, had said he looked forward to exploring Nepal’s landscapes and celebrating Nepali culture and that he hoped to make many new friends along the way. “I cannot wait to get out and see all that this country has to offer,” he had said.
On the fourth day of his five-day official tour of Nepal on Tuesday, Harry was in Okhari village of Lamjung district where he had powder paint smeared on his face by locals as they celebrated Holi, the festival of colours, and the 32-year-old took it in a sporting gesture, as he scooped up a handful of vermilion to give it back to others.
The British prince also played volleyball for a while with schoolchildren.
Harry, the fifth in line to the British throne, had spent the previous night as the guest of Mangali Gurung, the 86-year-old widow of a former Gurkha rifleman, in Leurani. On Tuesday morning, he undertook a trek on the hillside.
After Lamjung, Harry arrived in Pokhara during the day and visited the British Gurkha Camp to attend a wreath-laying ceremony in memory of British Gurkha soldiers who were killed in the line of duty.
Later in the day, the prince returned to Kathmandu.
On Wednesday, the final day of his trip, Harry is scheduled to open the Nepal Girl Summit which aims to promote gender equality, in particular by encouraging moves to end child marriage. The summit is organised by the Ministry of Children, Women and Social Welfare and supported by Unicef and Dfid.
Harry is touring Nepal at the request of Her Majesty’s Government, and the trip coincides with the bicentenary of bilateral relations between Nepal and the UK.
Prince Harry’s final engagement in Nepal is a reception at the British Embassy in Kathmandu on Wednesday evening.