Prince William has arrived in the exclusive resort of Klosters, in Switzerland, where he is joining his father on a skiing trip. The 21-year-old prince also has several friends from St Andrews University with him in the small alpine resort.
His younger brother Prince Harry, who is on gap year travels, will not be taking part in the holiday. Prince Charles arrived on Friday night and took to the slopes on Saturday morning with a local guide. An official photocall has been organised by royal aides for Sunday. The media have set up camp at the resort to capture father and son in holiday mood.
Holiday mood
Aides hope the press will give the princes some peace and quiet in return for the photocall. Prince Charles had earlier visited the Red Cross headquarters in Geneva. Klosters has long been a favourite destination for the prince but a string of events has forced him to cut short or cancel in recent years. Last year a hernia operation forced him to cancel his trip and in 2002 he headed home after the death of his grandmother, the Queen Mother. He also pulled out of his 2001 skiing trip to show solidarity with farmers during the foot-and-mouth outbreak.
March 26, 2004 -
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Princes Head off for the Piste
By Laura Elston, Deputy Court Correspondent, PA News in Geneva
The Prince of Wales was heading off to his favourite ski resort Klosters today for the first time in several years. Charles, who visited the Red Cross headquarters in Geneva today, will be joined by Prince William for the private holiday in the exclusive Swiss destination.
Student William, 21, is due to arrive later tomorrow with a crowd of friends after breaking up from St Andrews University for his spring vacation. Father and son will take to the slopes above the small Swiss village over the next week. An official photocall is planned on Sunday where aides hope the media have their only glimpse of the Royals during their stay.
William's younger brother Harry is still on his gap year travels so the accomplished skier will miss out on the family break in the Alps. Last spring, Charles indicated he would cancel his 2003 trip if the war with Iraq went ahead, but a hernia operation ensured that the skiing was definitely off.
In 2002, the holiday – normally an annual affair – was cut short on the second day by the death of the Queen Mother, while in 2001 the Prince stayed at home to show solidarity with farmers during the foot-and-mouth crisis.
Charles is expected to be joined by society pals and regular skiing companions Charles and Patti Palmer-Tomkinson – parents of I'm A Celebrity IT-girl Tara.
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Prince Harry To Visit Botswana
Botswana is becoming a hot attraction to heirs to the British throne, just after Prince William's visit to this country 2 years ago his brother Prince Harry is said to be on his way to our shores. The United Kingdom media reports suggest that the visit would not be an ordinary visit as it may turn into a honeymoon.
The 19-year-old Harry, who is the younger son of the late famous Princess Diana, is expected to visit Botswana from Lesotho-where he is spending two months as part of his gap year activities.
A gap year is similar to the Botswana's defunct National Service, where high school graduates could engage in any type of project before enrolling in college. In Britain, however, it is a person's choice. On his visit to Botswana, Harry is expected to bring with him a blonde stunner, Natalie Pinkham.
The 26-year-old Pinkhan would relax Harry after he concludes his gap year charity duties in Lesotho, where he is helping victims of AIDS in the mountain kingdom. Media reports suggest that Pinkham is Harry's first serious girlfriend. Pinkham, who is a television researcher said: "Harry and I get on extremely well. I have heard from him, but I am not prepared to comment any further."
Rugby fan Harry met her when she was dating England star Matt Dawson. They split in 2002. In the past, the controversial Prince William spent his gap-year secretly in the Ngamiland area and there was no leak to the media as their lifestyle attracts media attention wherever they go.
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TRUNK HUNK WILLS POOLS GIRLS
By Calum Macdonald
Hundreds of teenage girls yesterday tried to snap up tickets to see hunky Prince William play in a water polo tournament.
The prince is competing in the inter-university tournament of his favourite sport next month and will represent Scotland. Organisers expect the event, held at the Welsh Institute of Sport at Cardiff's Sophia Gardens, will be packed out but are hoping the girls won't drown it out with their screams over the pin-up prince. Women eager to see the handsome student are fighting for poolside seats to eye up Wills in his tight swimming trunks.
One royal fan Nadia Hughes, 18, tried to get tickets at the centre yesterday but was told she will have to join the queue on the day.
She said: 'I'm really excited about seeing Prince William. I've never been to a water polo match. But the thought of seeing William in a pair of swimming trunks is too much to miss.'
William, 21, has been picked to play for Scotland when they compete against Wales and Ireland on April 17.
Tournament organiser Oliver Newcombe said: 'We're not selling tickets, so people can just walk in off the street. We're expecting lots of girls will want to come and watch William in action.'
The prince was picked for the Scottish Universities team after a tough selection process with 31 other players. William is studying for a degree in geography at St Andrews University and impressed coaches at a trial for the Celtic Nations tournament. Second in line to the throne, William is captain of the university water polo team.
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Grosvenor daughter's betrothal is announced
Chester Chronicle
THE Duke of Westminster's daughter is to marry Prince William's friend and mentor Edward van Cutsem. The announcement of the engagement of Lady Tamara Katherine Grosvenor to Edward Bernard Charles van Cutsem was made last week.
Mr van Cutsem, 29, works in finance in the City and is a childhood friend of the royal princes. His father Hugh van Cutsem and mother Emilie, of Hilborough, Norfolk are good friends with the Prince of Wales.
A short statement read: 'Both families are very happy and excited. No date has yet been set for the wedding but further details will be announced in due course.'
Speculation is rife that the Society wedding of the year will take place at the Grosvenor family seat at Eaton Hall in November but Grosvenor spokeswoman Jane Sandars would not confirm or deny the rumours. Little is known about the rarely photographed Lady Tamara, 24, but during a Chronicle interview with the Duke and Duchess of Westminster in December 2001 it became clear she was close to her younger sister Lady Edwina. At the time Lady Tamara was studying theology at Newcastle University and Lady Edwina was reading criminology and sociology at Northumbria University.
Their mother the Duchess of Westminster said of her eldest girls: 'They see a lot of each other. They are having a really good time. They have so many friends around Chester that they often come back at weekends.'
Her husband the Duke said: 'It is exceedingly nice to say one is proud of one's children and mean it.'
The Duchess added: 'We are hugely confident in them. They are very level-headed, sensible and fun-loving but very wise.'
Lady Tamara is known to enjoy hunting. A couple of years ago she was pictured out hunting with hounds in the Cheshire countryside following in the footsteps of her aunt, Lady Jane. Her fiancé, Edward, is Prince Charles's godson and at the age of eight was a page at his wedding. The royal couple spent their wedding night at the van Cutsems' Norfolk estate and when the prince's affairs with Camilla Parker Bowles later became public knowledge, it emerged that they had trysts in a house rented on the Sandringham estate by the van Cutsems. Edward, who stands a lofty 6ft 4in, works as an investment banker for Merrill Lynch in London but is expected to eventually take over at the family seat of Hilborough, where his father is a self-employed farmer and bloodstock breeder. He was rumoured to be a prospective travelling companion for Prince William on his gap year to South America.
The Will and Harry Unlimited website says: 'Although van Cutsem is almost a decade older they are close companions, Edward even being described as an honorary elder brother. That impression is reinforced by a photograph taken during a winter trip to Balmoral five years ago, in which van Cutsem is dangling Prince Harry upside down over an icy stream in revenge for being caught in a snowball ambush by the young princes.'
He studied at Durham University and was said to have advised Prince William to go to St Andrew's because of its relative isolation. One of four brothers, Edward was featured tumbling in the snow with the royal princes in Jonathan Dimbleby's documentary about Prince Charles's life. Described by gossip columnists as a 'babe magnet' he is the former beau of the wealthy debutante-turned-model Camilla Astor. He also modelled with his brother Hugh at a fundraiser for the Game Conservancy Trust.
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Stunner on Harry holiday
A BLONDE stunner is set to join Prince Harry on a safari holiday — sparking speculation she is his first serious girlfriend. Harry, 19, has invited Natalie Pinkham, 26, to Botswana next month where he will relax after a two-month African charity stint in Lesotho. TV researcher Natalie is expected to take a girl pal with her.
She said: “Harry and I get on extremely well. I have heard from him, but I am not prepared to comment any further.”
Rugby fan Harry met her when she was dating England star Matt Dawson. They split in 2002.
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William makes a splash for Scotland
GREIG CAMERON and WILLIAM TINNING
PRINCE William is to become the first major royal to represent Scotland at sport after being picked for the national university water polo squad. The 21-year-old was disappointed after missing last year's trials due to other commitments.
However, the prince put the disappointment behind him when he competed with 31 other hopefuls to secure a place in the 13-man Scottish squad. He will now take part in the Celtic nations tournament, being held next month in Cardiff, against Welsh and Irish university teams. The prince is the water polo captain at St Andrews University and was a member of the team which was runner-up in last year's Scottish Cup event.
Last May he spoke of his love for the sport, saying: "I play lots of water polo . . . I love my water polo."
At the time the prince said he also played "a little rugby" and football but gave up playing hockey when a friend had his teeth knocked out.
Matt McGeehan, water polo co-ordinator for the Scottish Universities Sports Federation, said: "There were 32 players from around the country and from them we have chosen a squad of 13. William has been chosen in the squad for the first time. He actually missed the selection weekend last year. He is a good player and we just treat him as one of the guys. I think he appreciates that."
When he turned up for the trial, the prince was offered private changing facilities but he said he did not want any special treatment before the three-hour selection session. Even though he had a bodyguard with him, he insisted on using the main changing rooms. The prince is now in line for a "half-blue" – a university sporting award for elite athletes – from St Andrews University to mark his achievement. A council spokesman confirmed that the prince is a regular user of its facilities but admitted that, even though he is offered special treatment, he always turns it down.
He said: "Scottish Universities water polo team are regular bookers with us and he is a member of that squad. On occasions he has been in attendance, but although he has a bodyguard with him he wants to be treated the same as normal punters and uses the main changing rooms."
The prince has been heavily involved with the water polo team since becoming a student at St Andrews in 2002. He recently changed course from art history to geography. The prince is the second royal in recent years to represent Scotland. Peter Phillips, son of the Princess Royal, played rugby for Scotland's schoolboy side.
Sporting lives
Duke of Edinburgh helped to popularise the sport of carriage-driving in which he was very skilled and took part in many competitions. Before that he enjoyed polo and sailing. Prince Charles gained a "half-blue" at Cambridge University for polo. Prince Andrew is captain of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club at St Andrews. The Princess Royal narrowly missed a bronze medal in the 1976 Montreal Olympics in the three-day equestrian event. Peter Phillips the son of the Princess Royal and Mark Phillips toured South Africa with the Scottish schoolboys' rugby squad in 1996. Prince Harry wants to be a professional polo player.
- Harry's Lady Friend to Join Him in Africa
Prince Harry will soon be enjoying the company of a glamorous female friend as he continues his gap year in southern Africa. Apparently the teenage royal has invited 26-year-old TV presenter Natalie Pinkham to join him for the next leg of his African adventure. Friends say the pair will meet up in Mozambique before going travelling.
Natalie, who used to date rugby hero Matt Dawson, has been friends with the royal for some time. On the eve of his trip to Australia, Harry chose to spend his last night in London at her birthday party. The two chat regularly and the prince is said to be very supportive of her charity work.
"Harry and I get on extremely well – he is an absolute gentleman," said the pretty blonde recently. "I have heard from him since he went out to Africa, but I'm not prepared to comment any further than that."
- Scots call-up for Prince William
William's selection is said to have been on merit alone
Prince William is to play for Scotland's universities in an international water polo competition. The 6ft 3in St Andrews University student will take part in the Celtic Nations tournament in Cardiff. The prince competed with 30 other players for selection to the 13-man squad and organisers insist that he won his place on merit alone.
William is said to have become an enthusiastic player for the St Andrews University water polo team. The prince was reported to have missed the trials last year due to other commitments and Clarence House said he was pleased to be on the team this year.
A spokeswoman said: "It is something he is delighted to be part of and he is pleased to be selected."
The trials at which William was selected for the international team took place at the council-run Carnegie Leisure Centre in Dunfermline, Fife.
Matt McGeehan, water polo co-ordinator for the Scottish Universities Sports Federation, said: "It is no different and we do not want it to be, and we are happy for him to be one of the guys."
Keen horsewoman
It was reported that the prince was offered private changing facilities when he arrived with a bodyguard but he insisted on using the main changing rooms. Prince William has been described as a good team player and Mr McGeehan said he had high hopes for the Cardiff competition.
He said: "The Welsh team are quite a strong team so it is going to be quite hard. Last year we played and lost in quite a close match. "We have a similar team this year so hopefully we can do better."
The prince is following a family tradition in sporting endeavour. He shares a love of polo on horseback with his father Prince Charles and brother Harry and his grandfather, the Duke of Edinburgh, achieved international standard in polo and carriage driving. His aunt, Princess Anne, is a keen horsewoman and represented Britain in Three-Day Events at major sporting occasions including the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games and European Three-Day Event Championships. She was appointed president of the British Olympic Association in 1983. Her daughter Zara Phillips - the prince's cousin - is competing for a place in the British equestrian team for this summer's Olympics in Athens, while her brother Peter has played rugby for Scotland's schoolboy side.
- William's doing swimmingly
His mother loved the water and encouraged him to swim. So Diana would be justifiably proud of her 21-year-old son, William, who has become the latest Royal to gain sporting recognition. But water polo is an unlikely royal sport. With an athletic build, the dashing young Prince proved his worth on the playing fields of Eton.
As a schoolboy, William was good at football, rugby and hockey.
However, his first love was water polo and he continued to play when he became a student at St Andrew's University where he is now water polo captain.
"I play lots of water polo - I love my water polo," he said on turning 21.
"I'm not quite doing enough exercise - I'm still pretty unfit. But I like lots of swimming - I love my water sports."
He is, of course, no slouch when it comes to polo on horseback, playing alongside his younger brother, Harry, and their father the Prince of Wales. In fact, the Royal Family can boast prowess in a number of sports - and not just hunting, shooting and fishing. The Duke of Edinburgh set the standard and was an all-round sportsman. He achieved international standard in polo and carriage driving. In 1966, he was chosen to represent England in a tournament in Argentina but was unable to take part due to a Government £50 travel allowance limit on British nationals. He would have become the first member of the Royal Family to have represented his country at sport. Philip, whose normal position was back, had been chosen on merit because he was the second-highest-rated polo player at the time. After being forced to give up polo at the age of 50 with a arthritic wrist, he was a member of Britain's world-champion carriage driving team. A schoolboy athlete, he threw the javelin well. He also played cricket and once took the wicket of England's Tom Graveney in a Duke of Norfolk's XI match. An accomplished yachtsman, he competed regularly for 50 years at Cowes.
His daughter Anne, the Princess Royal, blazed a trail on horseback and was voted 1971 BBC Sports Personality of the Year. She won a place in the 1976 Montreal Olympics as a three-day eventer and later achieved success as a jockey, scooping her first win on the flat on Gulfland at Redcar in 1988. Anne passed on her considerable skill and love of equestrian sport to daughter, Zara Phillips, 22, who has high hopes of winning a place in the British team for this summer's Olympic Games.
Zara's brother, Peter, now 26, achieved international sporting status, representing Scotland Schools at rugby. Never to be outdone, 19-year-old sports-mad Prince Harry has captained the England Schools polo team. Andrew, the Duke of York, is an accomplished golfer and is Captain of the Royal and Ancient Club at St Andrew's, while Edward, the Earl of Wessex, prefers the obscure sport of Real Tennis.
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Prince Harry is not a playboy!
Royal sources have rejected press reports that the Prince has become something of a playboy. Prince Harry, who is currently working on community projects in Africa, will have a second gap year before he begins his military training.
"Gap years are not just about work, they are also about having fun. Harry is a typical late teenager who enjoys going out and enjoys going to clubs", an aide was quoted as saying by Hello. Clarence House has confirmed that the young royal will enjoy an extra 12 months of character-forming activities before he enters Sandhurst. The Prince of Wales feels that his son would find it easier to integrate if he waits until he is slightly older, since most first year recruits are university graduates.
"There are plans for Harry to extend his gap period into next year. That means that when he enters Sandhurst he will be of a more similar age to the rest of the intake", Charles' new communications secretary Paddy Harveson was quoted as saying by the report.
It remains to be seen what the teenager will do during the extra year, but it has been suggested he might spend some time in Argentina. (ANI)
- SAYING HELLO TO THEIR HIGHNESSES
You never know. One day you might find yourself staring eyeball-to- eyeball with a Royal. Scary? Well, yes – particularly if you don't like the Royal Family.
But for those who quite fancy the idea of meeting the Queen, Prince William or another royal favourite, it could be a moment to savour and something to tell your grandchildren.
Britain's first female train driver Hannah Dadds, for example, never dreamed that, when she qualified to take the controls of a London tube-train, she would get to shake the Queen's hand.
Hannah, with 180 other women blazing a trail, were guests at a Buckingham Palace lunch party and was presented to Her Majesty. But you don't have to be invited to the Palace to meet royalty. The Royals are out and about, up and down the country most weeks and it's often possible to at least catch a glimpse. If you're prepared to wait a while, it's even possible to catch the royal eye.
This week, for instance, the Queen and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, are in Surrey visiting Epsom, Tadworth and Dorking on Friday.
The Queen's workaholic daughter Anne, the Princess Royal, was in West Yorkshire on Monday and Tuesday, in London on Wednesday and Friday, and Gloucestershire on Thursday when the Duke of Kent is in Chelmsford, Essex. But if you get the chance to meet a Royal – a brief encounter during a walkabout or even a more formal introduction – you'll probably also get an attack of nerves. The Queen and her family are masters at putting people at ease. Yet they must sometimes think that the whole realm is peopled by men who curtsey when they mean to bow and women lost for words. So you would probably feel better if you were familiar with so-called royal protocol or etiquette. In recent years, most of the rules of behaviour have been relaxed and it's no longer necessary to bow or curtsy.
However, it's equally acceptable – and is appreciated – for women to show respect by executing a brief bob with the weight on the front foot, and for men to perform a head bow, from the neck and not the waist. A woman may bow rather than curtsey, if she wishes.
A perfectly executed curtsey is an elegant greeting. But there has been the odd faut pas. Like when a weighty lady grabbed the royal hand, tried to bob, stumbled and almost threw the unfortunate Royal over her shoulder.
If the royal hand is extended, it's best to take it lightly and briefly. Don't forget to let go. Veteran funnyman Norman Wisdom once held on to the Queen's gloved hand for so long, royal aides must have considered summoning a surgeon to cut her free.
The Queen should be addressed as "Your Majesty" and then as "Ma'am", pronounced "mam" as in jam and not "marm" as in marmalade.
Other senior Royals should be addressed first as "Your Royal Highness" and subsequently as "Sir" or "Ma'am".
The wife of a royal prince takes on her husband's status and should be addressed as "Your Royal Highness" and then as "Ma'am". However, the husband of a royal princess is not afforded his wife's social standing and should not receive a bow or curtsy, although he may be addressed as "Sir".
Nowadays it is acceptable to speak to a Royal before being spoken to. This may actually be welcomed as it can be wearisome for a member of the Royal Family to always be expected to lead the conversation. Good topics of conversation might be horses, dogs and the latest royal visit. Conversation stoppers would include money, state secrets and Camilla Parker Bowles.
Be prepared for the Queen, or any other member of the Royal Family, to politely enquire: "Are you based here?" or "How long have you been ...?"
Don't worry too much if nerves leave you a gibbering wreck with nothing coherent to say. The Royals are used to it. Even the rich and famous, used to performing to millions, quiver at the prospect of meeting the Queen and get mixed up or say the wrong thing.
A world-champion swimmer, when asked what he did, replied: "I'm a breast-stroker Your Majesty!"
In the final analysis, though, it's really quite simple – just be polite and be yourself.
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WILLS 'LOVE TRIP' TO SEE SEXY JECCA
By Dean Rousewell
PRINCE William is flying back to Africa to see the girl pal he met in his gap year - sparking new rumours of a romance.
Friends say student Wills is still very close to stunning Jecca Craig, 21, who has split from her shipping heir boyfriend.
The Prince, also 21, will stay with her on her dad Ian's 55,000-acre wildlife reserve in the foothills of Mount Kenya, where he spent part of his gap year before going to St Andrew's University.
A pal of Jecca said last night: "It's too early to talk of a full-on romance. But the fact that she's single again has got friends talking about what might happen."
Jecca stole the show at the Prince's 21st birthday party in Windsor last June and sat next to him at the top table.
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HARRY'S BECOME A PRINCE CHARMING
James Whitaker
THE recent photocall showing Prince Harry playing rugger, cuddling African kids and generally being a pretty good egg while spending part of his gap year (sorry, gap years) in Lesotho was deemed a pretty good kick-off to the career of the Wales's press supremo, Paddy Harverson. But, I can reveal, as they say in all the best columns, it nearly ended in acrimony and tears for the one-time mouthpiece of Manchester United.
All went reasonably well after the lofty Paddy announced that caption writers (the journos) and monkeys (photographers) would be welcome to take snaps and write stories of the third-in-line to the throne in sunny southern Africa. The fare offered to the royal rat pack was twofold. Prince Harry building a fence and then planting a tree. Boring but at least it meant a sighting of the lad. At this point the whingeing (for which the media are famous) began, to such effect that Paddy added a facility - Harry at an orphanage. These deeds were then done, quickly followed by an unsettling rumour that the Press Association (the official news agency) was to be given a secret photo session with Harry, 19, playing rugger. This is when Paddy learned a little of the downside of the weird and wonderful world of spurned snappers. "Not acceptable that just one photographer should take these pictures on his own," was the collective whine.
Paddy took advice before agreeing this be opened to all, as long as these rugby pictures should be held for the Sunday papers, as opposed to the dailies.
Says one monkey: "We went with this because we're all pussy cats these days. It wouldn't have been so readily agreed to when you were on the road but times have changed."
Interestingly, I'm getting encouraging reports about the behaviour of the Sandhurst-bound Prince Harry who, let's face it, would rather spend his yo ung life playing polo. Harry may be a bit wild but at least he's lots of fun and during the photocalls was, in the words of one snapper, "good as gold."
Added another: "He was a joy. Chatty, friendly and jokey and extremely co-operative."
Prince William, on the other hand, is viewed as surly. The complaint is that he does almost nothing for the "hated press".
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Forever England
Jeremy Watson
SIGNS that Buckingham Palace's new spin doctor is having an effect come from the plains of Africa where cuddly Prince Harry was seen helping four-year-old Mutsu Potsanse plant a peach sapling to provide shade for his orphanage.
With young Harry walking hand-in-hand with Mutsu, the pictures bore a striking resemblance to those which his mother, Princess Diana, used so well to tug the heart-strings of the western world when campaigning for Aids victims. There was Harry being nice to people; Harry helping to put up a fence; Harry looking thoughtful and asking people back home to spare a thought for Lesotho, one of the planet's poorest countries. It makes a change from the beer-swilling, girl-chasing, drugs- flirting image that he has specialised in back home before disappearing to far-flung parts for his gap year. If only he had taken his brain with him. He was pictured in a shirt with England emblazoned across the front and asked for assistance from people back in "England". Which seems a bit rich from the third in line to the throne of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, even if he is only 19 years old.
- P.R.INCE HARRY!
With the help of a few orphans and AIDS victims.. the charm offensive that the Palace hope will wipe away the image of drug- taking, boozing, partying, globe-trotting and time wasting...
By Dean Rousewell
PRINCE Harry larks around with AIDS orphans in a set of pictures Palace PR chiefs pray will improve his playboy image. The 19-year-old set up a game of rugby at an African children's home. And, guess what... a posse of photographers was on hand to record him showing his caring side. At least their pictures are a change from recent shots of him emerging bleary-eyed from a nightclub (see below right). Aides have been increasingly concerned that Prince Charles' younger son is best known for boozing, chasing girls and experimenting with drugs.
So now we see him spending part of his gap year with volunteer workers in the AIDS-ridden kingdom of Lesotho.
Royal writer Margaret Holder said: "The royals hope these photos will show that underneath Harry is a golden hearted boy who has the concerns his mother had. But he has to be careful that a gap year does not become a gap lifetime."
Harry organised the game of touch rugby after helping erect a fence at the Mants'ase orphanage at Mohale's Hoek. After explaining the rules to the youngsters - many of whose parents died of AIDS - he soon had them enthusiastically tossing the ball around.
At one point he jokingly picked up Mafusi Maqhoane and carried her away from the ball - well, Harry HAS had plenty of practice at picking up girls.
Afterwards the 11-year-old said she thought Harry was "beautiful".
In one of the photos he is seen delivering a rugby hand-off to a couple of lasses - something he would NEVER do to the beauties who flock to his side on boozy nights out. At one point a laughing Harry found himself at the bottom of a scrum as kids piled on top of him. And his affection for the children was clear as he patted them gently on the head. He saw one little boy carrying bottles of water to the sideline, and brought him into the game.
His team included Prince Seeiso, younger brother of Lesotho's King Letsie III. Harry praised his performance, shouting: "Seeiso's on fire." Volunteer worker Thabo Mokhele, 21, said: "Harry was good. He's a nice guy."
On the opposing side was the Prince's new PR chief Paddy Harverson, who will have felt he scored a needed publicity victory. It was a nice try, Harry - but are you really converted?
- HABITS DI HARD, HARRY
Carole Malone
WHOEVER'S doing Prince Harry's PR must think we're all one wave short of a shipwreck. It's an insult to the intelligence of the British people to try to fob us off with pictures of a do-gooding Harry working with AIDS babies in Africa looking for all the world like he's following in his mother's footsteps.
Well forget it. It'll take more than a few soppy photos to convince us that Harry is not a self-obsessed, aristo party boy who spends his life wrapped around a bottle of Bud and a pretty girl . When he's had his two-year "holiday" and knuckles down to a proper job then maybe we'll start taking him seriously.
- HARRY'S AN `AMUSING WASTREL'
TV historian David Starkey yesterday compared Prince Harry to Henry VIII saying nature intended them both to be 'amusing wastrels'. The Cambridge don said as with Henry Harry was someone who 'couldn't give a toss'. And the professor described Henry VIII as a second son who was never meant to be king.
He told the Bath Literature Festival: 'Henry VIII was really Harry, a second son who nature intended to be an amusing wastrel. He has even got red hair.
'Second sons are not there to do anything serious.'
Personalities Professor Starkey said there were parallels between Harry and William and Henry and his older brother, Arthur, who died before he could become king.
He said: 'It's very useful to look today at William and Harry. Look at the extraordinary differences in their personalities. The elder has a serious and slightly solemn quality that's Arthur and William. Then there's the 'couldn't give a toss' quality of the younger brother.'
Professor Starkey was talking about his book and TV series Six Wives: the Queens of Henry VIII. He compared the weddings of Henry and first wife Katherine of Aragon and Charles and Diana.
He described Henry's nuptials as a 'huge overblown affair', and asked: 'And who were the next Prince and Princess of Wales to get married in St Paul's?'
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Playful Prince Harry wins over folk of the mountain kingdom
LESLEY MOFOKENG
PRINCE Harry is proving to be his mother's son.
In Lesotho for two months as part of his gap year, the prince is not only emulating the good deeds that made his mother, the late Diana Princess of Wales, so loved - he is showing off the playfulness and sense of fun she had noted when he was young. The many Basotho who have met the third-in-line to the British throne told this week how Harry had come across as an approachable and likeable teenager.
"He is an ordinary kid, bubbly and talkative. He always has something to say to everyone," said a staff member at the humble, R205-a-night Hotel Mount Maluti where the prince spent some of his time.
Another staffer said: "He is always walking about and greeting people in the lodge and in the town. He is a great chap."
Other residents reported that Harry - who has been in trouble for underage drinking sprees - enjoyed his beer and had taken a liking to Amstel Lager. They said the always vivacious prince woke up at around 7am or 8am, took a shower and had breakfast before heading for the mountains, where he would work until late afternoon. On his return to the hotel, Harry would spend time either lounging around the lodge or strolling around Mohale's Hoek with his friend, George Hill, and two bodyguards, enjoying his relative anonymity.
Despite a large press contingent in the town this week for the prince's one and only public photo call, residents of Mohale's Hoek remained largely unaware of the celebrity in their midst. Fondly referring to Harry as "the friendly white boy", locals said they had no knowledge of who he was until it was explained to them. Recipients of Harry's largesse also said the prince was invariably good-natured and that he mucked in to help without complaint. The prince had even been spotted running around Matsieng vill age with a bucket of mealie meal balanced on his head in the style of the local women during a visit to Aids patients and orphans in their homes.
Thabiso Mabothile, a fence builder who spent two days with the prince, said he found Harry to be "full of jokes, playful and fond of singing".
Miranda Lopes, an American who runs the Mants'ase Children's Home where Harry built a fence and planted a peach tree, said the young royal had no qualms about sharing the orphans' meal of pap, spinach and tomato sauce. He also sampled home-made bread, samp and beans.
A fanatical England rugby fan, the prince also taught young orphans how to play rugby. But it was not all fun and games. Taking his cue from his mother's legendary humanitarian efforts, Harry helped assemble the foundations for a new health clinic near the remote village of Mokhotlong, helped build a bridge over the Sanqebethu River and planted trees to aid land conservation. He dug trenches to divert water away from crops at Ha Moeketsane and visited Aids patients and orphans at the royal village of Matsieng, where he planted vegetables in the yards. Prince Seeiso, the younger brother of Lesotho's King Letsie III, said Prince Harry was learning Sesotho and already knew basic words such as lumela ("hello") and ke a leboha ("thank you").
- AFRICA KIDS LOVE HARRY'S GAME
By Fiona Young
RUGBY-MAD Prince Harry is leader of the the pack as he introduces African youngsters to the ruck and tumble of the oval ball. The 19-year-old Prince rounded up kids at an orphanage in Lesotho, southern Africa, to take part in the touch-rugby match. And it appears he scored a conversion. Harry organised the game after work at the children's home where he is based.
At one point, a laughing Harry found himself at the bottom of a scrum as youngsters piled on top of him trying to get the ball.
Thabo Mokhele, 21, a volunteer from the local youth centre, said: 'It's my first time playing rugby. It's cool. Harry's a nice guy. We've been joking all the time and singing and dancing.'
Meanwhile, the Royals will come under more scrutiny this week when American broadcaster NBC screens the second part of a documentary about Princess Diana.
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Harry wants more rope
Prince Harry's photo-call at a Lesotho children's centre was a PR triumph, but his trip to Africa has not been without its tensions. Yesterday, on a visit to the south of the country, Harry was upset to be prevented by his bodyguards from abseiling off the 640ft Maletsunyane Falls.
"Harry told them that he jolly well wanted to go abseiling," says one who was present. "He said that he's going to be at Sandhurst next year, and is old enough and brave enough to be allowed to do it."
But a stand-up row was averted when the owner of the local abseiling firm intervened.
"He said that Prince Harry couldn't go down the falls, as he hadn't done the one-day compulsory preparation course," adds my source. "Even so, everyone thought the bodyguards were being a bit wet."
Maybe, but perhaps they were mindful of an episode in the late 1990s, when Princes William and Harry went abseiling in Wales with their nanny, Tiggy Legge-Bourke. She ended up being "carpeted" for putting them at risk.
- Prince Harry in media glare again
Shyam Bhatia in London
Only days after he was accused of spending too much time cavorting with girls in London's top night clubs, Britain's Prince Harry is once again in the news. But this time it is his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, who is to blame for thrusting him back into the glare of unwanted publicity. In hitherto secret tapes obtained and broadcast last night by US TV network, NBC, Diana tells how her husband, Prince Charles, had been disappointed that their second child, Harry, was a boy and that he hated his red hair.
This renewed focus on Harry from beyond the grave is described by royal insiders in London as negative and destructive and potentially damaging for the 19-year-old prince.
Both Harry and his brother William, who will one day inherit the British throne, have managed to secure a warm relationship with their father, despite the side effects of their parents' divorce and Diana's subsequent death in a Paris car crash. But Harry's relationship with his father could now come under renewed strain after the revelation that he was an unwanted child, at least as far as his father was concerned. Hints of Harry's personality problems, and how these could be the consequence of his parents' broken marriage, have been seeping into the British media for several months.
Two years ago, when he was 17, there were stories about how he was the focus of 'wild' parties at his father's country home outside London, freely mixing with drug users, hard drinkers and their girl friends. After Harry subsequently admitted smoking cannabis and imbibing alcohol, he was sent to a drugs rehabilitation centre for a day. But his behaviour continues to cause problems. Last week he was described by a London newspaper columnist as a "thoroughly horrible young man." Shortly afterwards royal courtiers permitted journalists to take pictures of Harry as he toured the AIDS-ravaged African country of Lesotho. One of Harry's problems is the enormous sums of money he has inherited from his mother. When Diana died she left Harry most of her estate, valued at more than £20 million, arguing that it was necessary to balance the lion's share of privileges that her older son would inherit as he was destined to be the king. Diana's bitter-sweet legacy of cash and tell-all secret video tapes is a cross that Harry will have to carry for the rest of his life.
- Prince Concerned With AIDS in Lesotho
By NICOLE ITANO, AP
MOHALES HOEK, Lesotho (AP) - Britain's Prince Harry, seeking attention Wednesday for parentless children with AIDS, planted a peach tree at an orphanage in this HIV-stricken nation.
Holding the hand of a 4-year-old orphan named Mutsu Potsane, the prince walked to a flower bed at the Mants'ase Children's Home where he planted the fruit tree. Mutsu helped the prince fill the hole. The orphanage is 60 miles south of the capital, Maseru.
The 19-year-old prince said his trip to Africa had been "fantastic" so far, adding he hoped his presence would bring recognition to the problems of this tiny mountain kingdom.
"Lesotho is not a country that is well-known, but it needs all the help it can get," Harry said.
The previous night, Harry attended a barbecue with the home's 25 residents. Some of whom have lost parents to AIDS.
"He's too nice," said 13-year-old Khotso Senoko, grinning. "We played with a ball."
Lesotho's Prince Seeiso, the younger brother of King Letsie III, helped organize Harry's visit.
"He's getting a feel of the extent of the problem," said Seeiso, adding that Harry has been "taken aback" by some of what he has seen.
He has also visited AIDS patients with a local doctor, seeing firsthand the effects of the pandemic estimated to have infected 31 percent of Lesotho's 2 million people.
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The baby whose plight left Harry in shock
By Tim Butcher in Mazenod
A nurse at a centre for traumatised children in Lesotho described yesterday the shock of Prince Harry when he was shown a 10-month-old girl who had been raped, had her feet cut with a knife and been starved.
The 19-year-old Prince was so moved by baby Kekeletso that he wrote to all 12 patients at the children's counselling unit praising their spirit and urging them to "keep smiling".
Seithali Nkoe, 23, thumped her heart with her hand as she described how he had reacted on visiting the centre an hour after the infant had been admitted.
"We told Harry about her ordeal and exactly what happened and he was so upset," Miss Nkoe said as Kekeletso, wide-eyed and apparently cheerful, sat on her lap.
"He wanted to know everything about this case. He seemed a very good person and we were happy to see him because it is not common for people from high places to visit us down here."
Miss Nkoe, who works at the three-room centre in the village of Mazenod, 10 miles south of the capital Maseru, said Kekeletso had been abandoned by her mother and left with a child minder who allegedly cut the baby's feet, failed to feed her and allowed at least one man to rape her.
Police are investigating the attack and also the alleged neglect by the mother. It is possible the baby was raped because of the belief, peddled by some in Africa, that sex with a virgin, no matter how young, offers protection from Aids. The centre, which works on a meagre budget and is in need of funds, is the only facility in Lesotho for dealing with traumatised children. After counselling and treatment, it tries to place each child with a member of their extended family rather than put them into a permanent institution.
The Prince wrote a six-line note to the children, saying: "Thank you for playing with us strangers and I will definitely sleep well after the exercise! You are all amazing, keep smiling. A smile shows happiness. Love from Harry."
- Prince pleads for the Aids orphans
By Tim Butcher, near Mohale's Hoek
Prince Harry took up one of his mother's dearest causes yesterday as he played with Aids orphans in Africa and appealed for help after witnessing how the pandemic is ravaging the continent.
The 19-year-old Prince took part in a week of building fences, planting trees and other voluntary work at a remote Aids orphanage in Lesotho as he sought to throw off his playboy reputation.
A Clarence House spokesman said while his pre-Christmas visit to Australia was mostly for fun, his eight-week visit to Lesotho was more about education and self-betterment.
Sporting a military-style crew cut which cost five rand (42p) in Lesotho's capital, Maseru, Prince Harry said Lesotho needed charitable help.
"It's been fantastic - hot but fun," he said at the Mants'ase Orphanage. "It is about learning about the culture. Lesotho is not exactly a place where everyone has heard about. I would like people and charities back in England to recognise Lesotho is a country that needs help. They have not got enough help. I am learning about the culture and the way of life out here. As you can see, everyone is very happy and smiling, but we want to help more."
He joined a work gang of eight volunteers, at the orphanage near the town of Mohale's Hoek. There, he played a full part, grappling with a bundle of fence wire used to stop cattle and goats from pilfering the orphanage's spinach, pumpkin and squash. The Prince was helped by one of the orphans, four-year-old Mutsu Potsane, to plant a peach tree sapling, part of a project to provide shade for the orphanage, which lies on a windswept hillside. The Prince, who joined the orphanage's 25 children for a barbecue on Tuesday, had clearly won their confidence, teaching many of them some moves from the rugby field.
Prince Harry's visit to Lesotho was organised by his opposite number in Lesotho's royal family, Prince Seeiso, the 34-year-old younger brother of King Letsie III. Around 31 per cent of Lesotho's population aged between 15 and 49 are infected with the Aids virus, one of the worst rates in Africa. Prince Harry joined a doctor on his rounds in a village where most of the patients were suffering from Aids.
"The people were very dignified in their suffering, but clearly in some discomfort and Harry was taken aback," said Prince Seeiso. "I think it brought the issue home to him. He seems to have genuine concern to play some role."
The plight of Aids victims was a cause adopted enthusiastically by Diana, Princess of Wales almost 20 years ago when she was seen to break a social taboo in Britain by publicly hugging people who were dying from the disease. While most of his time in Lesotho involves voluntary work, Prince Harry has enjoyed some of the tourist highlights, including the 640ft falls on the Maletsunyane river. He will visit other countries in southern Africa before returning to Britain. It is part of a two-year break between Eton College and Sandhurst. He will enjoy a second gap year because he is too young to go to Sandhurst this year.
- Harry gets his hands dirty
Sid Billington
Just when Prince Harry was starting to get interesting, smoking the evil weed, hanging out with busty ladies in London nightclubs, he's had his head shaved and been hauled over to Africa to help children.
Where's the fun in that?
"The determination of the Prince of Wales to banish his younger son's playboy image was shown yesterday with a stage-managed photograph of Prince Harry with an Aids orphan," The Times cynically states.
But by jove, they're right!
So little ginger-top has been shipped to an Aids orphanage in Lesotho, where he'll be spending his gap year. Or in other words, taking a long, hard look at his attitude and where he wants his life to lead, my boy.
"Yesterday's public relations offensive was designed to revive the memory of Diana, Princess of Wales, who championed the Aids cause when it was unfashionable," the paper reports.
Speaking of Di, more trouble looks set to come Charlie's way when tapes showing her discussing the breakdown of her marriage, get an airing on American TV tonight.
"The footage, being shown after her voice coach Peter Settelen broke a pledge never to sell the items, is based on 20 videotapes made in 1992 and 1993," The Times informs us.
So expect the papers to be riddled with revelations tomorrow. Oh, if only there wasn't a Royal connection, Hollywood would have made a trilogy by now.
- Prince Of Hearts
WE now know what Prince Harry will be like when he grows up. He will travel the globe, dance with movie stars and sunbathe on the decks of yachts with the scions of wealthy businessmen and grocery store owners. He will take a keen interest in sport (and those who play it), shop until he drops at department stores and tell his innermost fears to a portly butler. And he will do this while wearing a succession of meringue-like evening gowns, two-piece cerise pink suits and a smile that says vulnerable yet sexy.
You see, as the Sun remarks, Harry is "JUST LIKE MUM". He may well be just like his dad as well, but it's safest to stick with what we know for sure, and that is what the Sun tells us. In stage one of Harry's metamorphosis into his mum, he's in southern Africa befriending the desperate and needy, who, as luck has it, come in the neat shape of attractive black children, accessories that went with many of Diana's famous outfits. The little black number snapped holding Harry's hand is called Matsu, who became orphaned when his parents succumbed to the voracious AIDS virus.
"He wants to learn more about the AIDS problem," explains a spokesperson for Clarence House. "He wants to see what work is being done and tackle it."
While this is indeed a noble pursuit for a young lad to undertake, it is deemed newsworthy because, as the Express says, it "follows in Diana's footsteps".
"The royal {Harry] launched a crusade to confront the horrors of Aids [sic] in Africa by cuddling and playing with children who have lost their parents to the disease," says the paper.
- We're Outta Heir
PRINCES William and Harry are planning to leave their father's home and live in Princess Diana's old apartments. The brothers are "uncomfortable" staying with Charles and his mistress Camilla at Clarence House. They are are also leading increasingly independent lives and find the lack of space at Clarence House cramps their style. The young princes want to move into Kensington Palace where they grew up and have made five secret visits there to check it out.
"They love their father dearly but are very different from him," said a family friend. "You can't really expect young men their age to live like Trappist monks. All the suites at Clarence House are side by side and it's inevitable there will be disputes and problems." Nineteen-year-old Harry is understood to be particularly uneasy about sharing a home with Camilla.
"William sees that she makes his father happy so he says nothing," admitted the friend. "But you can see Harry tense up when she walks into a room. At Charles' other official residence, Highgrove House, they can spread out, but in London they always seem to be falling over each other."
The tensions came to a head last month after the princes returned from a night's clubbing. Charles read his sons the riot act when staff revealed some of Harry's young guests had been mooning from a window in his suite. As heir to the throne 21-year-old William has the right to ask the Queen for a suitable residence. And after the princes' secret visits, staff are now working out what it would cost to refurbish and protect Kensington Palace. Round-the-clock cover would require 40 to 50 officers.
Diana's once magnificent double apartment has hardly been disturbed since it was sealed when her possessions were removed after her death seven years ago.
"It's loaded with significance and memories for the princes and was always the place they thought of as home," added the family friend. "There are still small reminders of their mother there...her roller-blade skates and a few broken ornaments. They grew up there more than anywhere. It's entirely natural that they would want to return."
Diana's estate stripped the rooms of nearly all her personal possessions, while the Crown estate took back the artworks and antiques that had been on loan to her. The Queen's advisers had been hoping to close Kensington Palace as a royal residence by 2010. The deaths of Diana and then Princess Margaret left only a handful of low ranking royals and retainers living there. Last year the palace's full-time armed police were replaced with security guards to cut costs. But a royal resident of William's rank would mean an instant reversal of the policy. By the time Charles was William's age he was Prince of Wales with access to all the Duchy of Cornwall income. But William may not come into the title for another 20 years.
"Charles could afford to obtain a country home of his own," said the friend. "It would be hard to deny William somewhere to live away from his father."
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Prince Harry meets Aids victims
Prince Harry has met Aids victims and TB sufferers on his gap year tour of Lesotho, Clarence House has said. The 19-year-old prince also followed a village doctor on his rounds to see how locals dealt with the diseases. More than a third of people in Lesotho are thought to be living with HIV or Aids - making the south African country the world's worst for infection rates.
Harry has also helped build foundations for a new health clinic, completed a road bridge and dug trenches for crops. The visit was one of a number Harry has undertaken since arriving in Lesotho nearly three weeks ago. He also visited a home for traumatised children on the outskirts of the capital Maseru. Details of the trip had until now been kept under wraps for security reasons.
Harry, whose recent visits to a string of London nightclubs attracted attention, told BBC News he was having "really good fun" learning about the Africans' culture and way of life.
"They are all very very happy with life, smiling the whole time," he added.
But the fun-loving prince also told BBC News he hoped his "fantastic" African adventure would help "people back in England" recognise Lesotho needed more aid. A programme of projects and visits has been put together by Prince Seeiso - the younger brother of Lesotho's King Letsie III - who has invited Harry as his guest. Harry, whose late mother Diana, Princess of Wales was known for her work with Aids sufferers, is spending eight weeks in the mountainous kingdom. Working alongside him has been his close friend George Hill, whose mother Annie was a long-time friend of Princess Diana's. Harry stayed on the Hill family ranch during a three-month stint in Australia last year while working as a jackaroo.
Prince Harry builds fences and plants trees as he visits Africa
MASERU (AFP) - Prince Harry, third in line to the throne, will spend his third week during a private visit to Africa building fences and planting trees at a rural orphanage in the small mountain kingdom of Lesotho, a royal spokesman said.
Paddy Harverson, Prince Charles's communications secretary, told reporters ahead of an official photocall -- Harry's first and only while on a working holiday -- that the prince had toured the small landlocked country since his arrival here last month, as part of his sabbatical year.
"Since arriving in Lesotho on February 13, Prince Harry and his friend George Hill have been travelling the country getting to know Lesotho and its people and working on projects to help local communities," Harverson said.
Prince Harry and Hill were currently working on a project at the Mants'ase Children's Home near Mohale's Hoek, less than 60 miles south of the capital Maseru.
The first thing that they'll be doing and what they have been doing yesterday (Tuesday) is building fences," Harverson said.
"This orphanage needs fencing in to keep the animals out. They have been putting up posts yesterday and they will be putting up wire today," he told a press briefing packed with local and international media.
"There will be some tree planting at the orphanage because they are putting in some fruit trees, which will also provide much-needed shade," Harverson added, cautioning that no interviews would be granted.
Security has been tight since the 19-year-old's arrival in the impoverished country, with British officials declining to give details of the prince's exact location. During a working visit to a cattle station in the Australian outback last year, the prince reportedly threatened to abandon his trip after claiming the media were intruding on his private holiday.
Harverson added: "He is a fine young lad and he is out here as part of his gap year to work and experience life in Lesotho. He is not here on an official royal visit."
"Like any 'normal' 19-year-old he wanted to come and experience it for himself, contribute and learn a bit of the country."
"Of course, it's a private visit, we understand the interest in him back home and internationally. We are very happy to support that in return for the media leaving him alone for the rest of his trip."
- HARRY JOINS AIDS CAMPAIGN
Prince Harry has joined the fight against Aids, as he pledged to raise the profile of disease-stricken Lesotho.
The 19-year-old, whose late mother Diana, Princess of Wales was a champion of Aids victims, is hoping to leave a legacy behind him as he works in the impoverished southern African country. As part of his gap year, Harry carried out duties at an orphanage and spoke of how the kingdom was in need of help. Some of the youngsters at the children's home he visited near Mohale's Hoek have lost both their parents to Aids in a country where 40% of the population is believed to be infected with HIV or Aids. Harry was helped by four-year-old orphan Mutsu Potsane as they planted a peach tree which will eventually provide shade for children at the small dwelling. Tiny Mutsu was brought to the home a year ago with his brother and sister after the death of his parents.
Harry described his time in the country so far as "fantastic" and "really good fun".
Asked what he intended to achieve by his stay, he replied: "Recognition for Lesotho as a country that needs help. They haven't got enough help yet. It is not exactly a country that everybody has heard of."
Of the children in the orphanage he said: "They were all very, very happy and smiling all the time but we want to do more to help them and we can."
A Clarence House spokesman said Harry wanted to learn more about the Aids problem, and see what work is being done to tackle it.
"By coming here he is bringing attention to the problems."
- Prince's Pledge to Aids Children
By Laura Elston, Deputy Court Correspondent, PA News in Lesotho
Prince Harry joined the fight against Aids today as he pledged to raise the profile of disease-stricken Lesotho.
The 19-year-old, whose late mother Diana, Princess of Wales was a champion of Aids victims, is hoping to leave a legacy behind him as he works in the impoverished southern African country during his gap year.
Fun-loving Harry showed his sensitive side as he carried out his duties at an orphanage and spoke of how the kingdom was in need of help. Some of the youngsters at the Mants'ase Children's Home near Mohale's Hoek have lost both their parents to Aids in a country where 40% of the population is believed to be infected with HIV or Aids.
Harry was helped by four-year-old orphan Mutsu Potsane as they planted a peach tree which will eventually provide shade for children at the small dwelling. Tiny Mutsu held the Prince's hand as they approached the flower bed, watched by a large media pack who gathered there for the photocall. The orphan looked on as Harry bent down to plant the sapling, before crouching down himself to help the Prince scoop up handfuls of dirt to cover the roots.
As Harry stamped on the ground to secure the tree Mutsu followed his lead and did the same. The pair waved to each other as Mutsu wandered off after the job was completed. He was brought to the home a year ago with his brother and sister after the death of his parents. A relaxed-looking Harry was dressed in a fawn Nike England rugby T- shirt and grey combat trousers, with his hair cut extremely short.
He described his time in the country so far as "fantastic" and "really good fun".
Asked what he intended to achieve by his stay, he replied: "Recognition for Lesotho as a country that needs help. They haven't got enough help yet."
He added: "It is no t exactly a country that everybody has heard of."
Of the children in the orphanage he said: "They were all very very happy and smiling all the time but we want to do more to help them and we can."
A Clarence House spokesman described Harry's interest in the Aids crisis sweeping the kingdom.
"He has shown a real and genuine interest in the welfare of young people in Lesotho who suffer from a very high instance of HIV and Aids. He wants to learn more about the Aids problem, see what work is being done and tackle it. By coming here he is bringing attention to the problems."
- Prince Harry appeals for aid to Lesotho
MOHALE'S HOEK, Lesotho - Prince Harry, third in line to the British throne, pleaded for aid for "little-known" Lesotho, as he helped build a fence at an orphanage during a private visit to one of Africa's poorest countries.
Dressed in a khaki T-shirt and grey cargo pants, a relaxed-looking Harry arrived on the back of a four-wheel-drive vehicle as part of a 10-strong team, singing along to a local hymn, before he got down to the business of erecting a fence at the Mants'ase Children's Home near Mohale's Hoek, about 120 kilometres south of the capital, Maseru.
Asked how he had enjoyed his time in Africa so far, the 19-year-old told a group of about 50 local and international journalists: "Fantastic. It's been really good fun to learn about people's culture."
Harry said he decided to come work in Lesotho as part of his sabbatical year because little was known about the tiny mountain kingdom, surrounded by South Africa.
"It's recognition. People in England do not really know a lot about Lesotho. But it needs their help. There are all kinds of needs here," the prince told the press, assembled for his first and only photocall during the visit.
Lesotho is one of Africa's poorest countries, with a gross domestic product of some 451 dollars per head per year and an HIV/Aids infection rate of around 30%. UN figures put the average life expectancy in Lesotho at 36 years. Since their arrival in mid-February, Harry and his friend George Hill have worked on projects in northern Lesotho, building an extension to a clinic and helping construct a bridge. They have also made door-to-door visits speaking to people with HIV and Aids, said Basotho royal Prince Seeiso, 38, younger brother of Lesotho's King Letsie III.
The prince has also had an opportunity to indulge in horseriding, one of his pass ions, and has played rugby and soccer with local villagers, many of whom did not know who Harry was before being told that he was visiting royalty.
"In the major centres, he is really well known, but in rural villages people needed to be told that he is royalty," Prince Seeiso told AFP.
Fourteen-year-old Thabang Makhube, who lives in the orphanage where Harry helped build the fence, said: "I saw the prince for the first time yesterday (Tuesday) when he came to visit us. We played soccer before having lunch.
"This guy really knows his stuff," he told AFP.
"I was very surprised to see a royal so close up," added 11-year-old Lebohang Thejana. "We have only heard about them on the radio."
Paddy Harverson, Prince Charles' communications secretary, said Harry would work at the orphanage until the end of the week, before moving to another project elsewhere in the country.
He would then travel "to another southern African country," Harverson said.
"He is a fine young lad and he is out here as part of his gap year to work and experience life in Lesotho. He is not here on an official royal visit."
Security has been tight since the prince's arrival in Lesotho, with British officials declining to give details of the prince's exact location.
- Harry's following in his mother's footsteps
WILLIAM LYONS
PRINCE Harry stamped on the ground to secure a tree which will eventually provide shade for children at an orphanage in southern Africa and tiny Mutsu Potsane did the same. With the sapling planted, the four-year-old wandered off, before stopping to wave goodbye to the prince. For Prince Harry, using part of his gap year to visit Lesotho, a tiny African kingdom that is battling poverty, HIV/AIDS and a punishing drought, the act went some way to fulfilling his promise to carry on the work of his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.
"It’s not a place that everybody really knows about," he told reporters at the Mants’ase Children’s Home on the outskirts of the capital, Maseru.
Looking relaxed, he said he intended to achieve recognition for the country during his stay.
"Charities in England need to recognise Lesotho as somewhere that needs help. They haven’t got enough help yet," he said.
Earlier, Prince Harry, 19, followed a village doctor as he carried out patient rounds in Matsieng and saw how locals were dealing with the spread of disease.
Of the children in the orphanage, he said: "They were all very, very happy and smiling all the time but we want to do more to help them and we can."
Diana won many plaudits for her fight against HIV/AIDS, including from Kofi Annan, the secretary general of the United Nations, who praised her work in fighting the "conspiracy of silence" over AIDS. Less than two years ago, when he turned 18, the prince spoke of his determination to keep alive the memory of his mother. Vowing to "finish" her charity work, he said he admired the way she reached out to the vulnerable and that he wanted to follow in her footsteps. Yesterday’s visit was one of a number he has undertaken since arriving in Lesotho nearly three weeks ago. Details of the trip had until now been kept under wraps for security reasons. But yesterday it emerged that the young Royal has helped build foundations for a new health clinic near Mokhotlong, finish a road bridge across the Sanqebethu River and dig irrigation trenches in Ha Moeketsane to help crops grow. The programme of projects and visits has been put together by Prince Seeiso, the younger brother to King Letsie III of Lesotho, who invited Prince Harry as his guest. Prince Seeiso also shares a mutual friendship with Prince Harry’s mentor, Mark Dyer, a former army officer, which secured Lesotho as a gap year destination for the prince.
On Tuesday night, Prince Harry enjoyed a "braai" - a barbecue - at the home, tucking into papa, a corn-based meal, home-made bread and sausages. The night-time activities, which included singing and playing games with the youngsters, were a world away from the prince’s well-known revelling in London bars. Prince Harry has come under fire recently for his lifestyle. Last month, Patrick Harverson, the Prince of Wales’s new communications secretary, launched a defence of the young prince after a national newspaper columnist described him as a "national disgrace". The outspoken criticism, which also described the prince as a "thoroughly horrible young man", was written after a number of recent stories linking the prince to drunken parties, drug-taking and clinches with topless models. Prince Harry’s eight-week stay in Lesotho follows a three-month stint at a ranch in the Australian outback, where he worked as a farm hand or "jackaroo", taking a break to travel to Sydney and support England’s victorious rugby World Cup campaign. Yesterday, Prince Seeiso spoke of Prince Harry’s desire to help the country. "One of the many reasons that he came to this site was to gauge the extent of the HIV problem," he said. He added that Prince Harry had also visited another children’s home and met a ten-month-old baby who had been sexually abused.
"I did see some genuine shock and horror on his face when he was told the story of this poor child," he said. "It’s a genuine concern of his that he should play some role in his short stay here."
But Prince Harry’s visit hasn’t been all work. He has found time to visit a few of Lesotho’s scenic attractions and to attend a football match featuring the national team, the Lesotho Crocodiles.
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Prince Harry checks out Lesotho soccer
Britain's Prince Harry attended the Confederation of Southern African Football Associations match between Lesotho and Botswana in Maseru on Sunday. The Prince, accompanied by two young men believed to be his friends, was seen sitting amongst the spectators under the scorching sun. He was wearing a cap and jeans.
It was not clear why the Prince was not sitting amongst the dignitaries at the Setsoto Stadium. Members of the Lesotho royal family and some government ministers sat in the Royal Stand. The Prince appeared to enjoy the match, amid a very tight security contingent disguised as spectators. Prince Harry, the son of Prince Charles of Wales, is currently on an eight-week private visit to Lesotho.