Focus
A statement by Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton on Prince Harry's overseas tour to The Bahamas, Jamaica, Belize and Brazil
1st February 2012
Thank you all for attending this morning. A special welcome, if I may, to the High Commissioner of The Bahamas and the Deputy High Commissioners of Jamaica and Belize.
Prince Harry is really bouncing about the visit – he is hugely looking forward to it. Prince Harry will visit Belize, The Bahamas and Jamaica on behalf of The Queen as part of Her Majesty's Diamond Jubilee celebrations from 2nd March to 8th March. Following these Realm visits, The Prince will travel to Brazil on behalf of the British Government.
The Tour to the three Realms is Prince Harry’s first official Royal Visit on behalf of The Queen. The three Realms were personally chosen for Prince Harry by Her Majesty, who has visited the countries many times during her 60 year reign. Through Prince Harry, The Queen will be formally extending her good wishes to Belize, The Bahamas and Jamaica on the historic occasion of her Diamond Jubilee.
The Tour’s itinerary reflects – with its mixture of formality and informality – Prince Harry’s wish to pay personal tribute to his grandmother The Queen, but also to spend time wherever possible with young people in all three countries. As you would expect, The Prince is hugely looking forward to representing The Queen and he will bring his own brand of enthusiasm and energy to every event.
The Tour begins in Belize, where The Prince arrives on Friday late afternoon. After being met by the Prime Minister and a Guard of Honour at the airport, The Prince will travel to the capital Belmopan to pay a call on the Governor-General. Prince Harry will then attend a lively street party on a new road in the capital, which The Prince will formally name the “HM Queen Elizabeth II Boulevard”, before joining in the festivities. These will showcase a wide variety of Belizean music and food, representing the cultures that make up Belizean society. The Prince will deliver his first speech of the Tour at this event.
The following morning – Saturday 3rd March – Prince Harry will visit the Adjacency Zone run by the Organisation of American States (the OAS) on the border between Belize and Guatemala. As some of you may be aware, border disputes in the past between Belize and neighbouring Guatemala mean that good neighbourly relations are particularly important to the Belizean Government. As a consequence, the OAS administer a site in the border area which is used for cultural interchange. At this site, The Prince will tour an arts studio, where Belizean and Guatemalan children will be working, an art exhibition and a musical festival. The majority of guests with The Prince at this visit will be school children and their families from the two countries.
Following the visit to the OAS Adjacency Zone, Prince Harry will travel to Xunantunich – a Mayan pyramid, temple and Royal Palace site – to learn about Belize’s extraordinary Mayan heritage. The site is spell-binding and the visit promises to be visually wonderful. At Xunantunich, The Prince will climb the pyramid, view a Mayan dance and attend a festival of food, music and arts and crafts held in the ancient Palace Court. The Prince will spend lunch here, joined by scores of school children.
Immediately after leaving Xunantunich, The Prince will pause briefly at the Macal River to launch a canoe named in The Queen’s honour, which will take part in future river races, a strong Belizean tradition going back to Mayan times. Prince Harry will use an iconic local brew to launch the canoe.
Prince Harry returns to Ladyville, where his final engagement in Belize is at the military barracks there. Here, The Prince will view displays of weaponry, talk to members of the Belizean Defence Force and view and All-Terrain Vehicles, as well as boats belonging to the relatively newly formed Belizean Coast Guard. The Prince will also join a reception of Royal British Legion members and Belizean Second World War veterans, before laying a wreath at the memorial to British soldiers who have died in Belize over the years. After independence from the United Kingdom in 1981, the British Army remained behind to help defend Belize.
The wreath laying will be a poignant end to Prince Harry’s visit to Belize – his first of many, he hopes. The Prince’s next destination is Nassau, The Bahamas, where he arrives early evening. Prince Harry will be met by Bahamian dignitaries at the airport, before retiring for the evening.
The following day – Sunday 4th March – begins with a formal call on the Governor-General and the Prime Minister and Cabinet at historic Government House in Nassau. Following the call, The Prince will attend a Ecumenical Church Service at Christ Church Cathedral, joining the Governor-General and much of the Bahamian Government and administration in a service of thanksgiving for Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee. The service is formal, and The Prince is likely to be attired for the first time in tropical No1 Dress of the Blues and Royals.
Following the church service, Prince Harry will tour an open-air photographic exhibition at Nassau’s central Rawson Square. Here he will deliver his first speech in The Bahamas. The exhibition chronicles the life of The Queen of The Bahamas and her family’s long links to the islands.
On Sunday afternoon, The Prince will board a very fast boat belonging to the Royal Bahamian Defence Force. He will join the crew – and the crews of a number of other RBDF cutters – in a maritime security exercise. The exercise, which may last several hours, will take Prince Harry far into territorial waters and possibly even to other neighbouring Bahamian islands. The afternoon is a chance for The Prince – a Serviceman – to spend time, mostly in private, with fellow Servicemen, learning more about the very professional work of the Royal Bahamian Defence Force.
On Monday morning (Monday 5th March), The Prince’s first engagement is to attend a huge gathering of young people at the national stadium in Nassau. The stadium will host a march-past of uniformed young volunteers (scouts etc.), with the Governor-General, joined by Prince Harry, taking the salute. The march-past will be followed by what will no doubt be a very lively cultural performance. The Prince will take his seat with school children to watch the show.
Continuing with the theme of young people, Prince Harry will afterwards attend a lunchtime reception at the Sheraton Hotel, Nassau, for Bahamian young leaders – a chance for him to meet young people up to the age of around 30, who have excelled in their particular fields.
Following the reception, The Prince will travel to the Royal Bahamian Defence Force Base at Coral Harbour, where he will take the salute at a formal parade. Following the parade, The Prince will lay a wreath in honour of fallen Bahamian Defence Force personnel. This marks Prince Harry’s final engagement in The Bahamas. He travels next to Jamaica.
On arrival in Jamaica – which will be early evening – The Prince will be met by a formal Guard of Honour at the airport. The Prince then retires for the night at the Governor-General’s Residence, King’s House.
The following day – Tuesday 6th March – is a very full one, taking place entirely in Kingston. Prince Harry’s first engagement is at the wonderfully named Usain Bolt Track at the University of West Indies. This is the track where many Jamaican champions have honed their skill over the years. Prince Harry – very much in casual mode – will join a number of young children being coached in track events by Jamaican and Olympian athletes, before being given a coaching session by a Jamaican runner. Following The Prince’s PE lesson, he will join a reception for the athletes and the children at the trackside. It is worth underlining here that The Prince on this occasion brings not only The Queen’s good wishes to Jamaican athletes, but does so also coming from London, a place obviously weighing very heavily on the minds of the Jamaican athletes in the run-up to the Olympics.
Having had a chance to refresh himself after his morning’s exertions, The Prince then travels to the Law Faculty at the University of the West Indies, where he formally opens the building on behalf of The Queen, who is Visitor at the University of the West Indies. At this brief engagement, The Prince will tour the building, where he will view a moot court taking place. The Prince will also deliver some short remarks at the formal opening.
The Prince’s next stop is at the renowned Bustamente Children’s Hospital. As you may know, The Prince is very passionate about helping sick young children, so this visit will be of especial importance to him personally. The Prince will tour a number of wards and play areas, before unveiling a plaque at the hospital entrance in honour of The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.
The Prince’s next stop will be a private lunch at historic Devon House. Following lunch, Prince Harry journeys to the Queen Victoria Jubilee Hospital – named after the only other Diamond Jubilee in British and Jamaican history – where The Prince will unveil a statue to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee. The Prince will here briefly meet staff, including doctors and nurses.
The Prince’s final daytime engagement is at Rise Life, an inspirational project for young people in one of the more deprived districts of Kingston. Rise Life provides invaluable learning facilities and a safe haven for young people aged from about 10 years old and upwards. Here, The Prince will tour some of the facilities, meeting young people as he goes, before joining a fun and energetic party in the courtyard, with scores of young people and Rise Life staff. We expect lively music and good Jamaican food.
After retiring briefly, The Prince will attend a State Dinner that evening being hosted by the Governor-General of Jamaica at King’s House. The dinner will be attended by guests invited by the Jamaican Government, and will be a formal occasion, complete with toasts, anthems and speeches including Prince Harry’s main speech in Jamaica. Immediately before the State Dinner, the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition will meet Prince Harry.
The next day – Wednesday 7th March – The Prince will shake off his short night’s sleep at a breakfast being given by officers of the Jamaican Defence Force at Up Park Camp in Kingston. Following the breakfast, The Prince will join JDF soldiers for three noisy and familiar activities: a Close-Quarter Battle simulator; then a 30-metre range – where The Prince will live fire with other JDF soldiers; and lastly a rapel tower, from which The Prince is likely to hurl himself off, abseiling, accompanied by JDF soldiers.
The Prince then boards a helicopter at the base to travel to Falmouth on the north coast of Jamaica. At Falmouth – a stunning Georgian port visited by The Prince of Wales in 2008 – Prince Harry will view some of the tourism opportunities that the north coast offers – something the Jamaican government are justifiably proud of and are very keen to highlight and celebrate. The Prince will board a tourist ‘train’ – which runs on the road – to view the newly built quay designed to host the world’s largest cruise liners, before travelling on the same train into the historic town. The Prince’s first stop is at the William Knibb Memorial Church. William Knibb was a 19th century Baptist minister who fought hard throughout his life for the emancipation of Jamaican slaves. At the church, The Prince will lay a flower at William Knibb’s memorial in an act of homage to the great emancipator and in an act of remembrance for the wrongs of slavery.
The Prince’s second stop is at St. Peter’s, a beautiful Anglican church which is a famous landmark in the city. At the church, The Prince hopes to be given the opportunity to re-start its historic tower clocks – if it’s ready in time. The Costus [the Governor-General’s local representative] is busy polishing it up to be ready in time. Prince Harry’s final stop in his tour of Falmouth is at the central Water Square, where The Prince will meet local people, including school children, and have a chance to see for himself why Falmouth is regarded as such a heritage gem.
Following his visit to Falmouth, Prince Harry then travels to Good Hope Great House, one of the beautiful plantation houses in Jamaica – now a hotel and tourist destination. The house’s setting in the Jamaican hills of the hinterland is stunning, and The Prince will receive a brief guided tour of the gardens and the house.
In the evening, Prince Harry will travel by boat to the Sandals Royal Caribbean hotel in Montego Bay, where he will attend a reception on an island just inside the reef. The reception is being hosted by the Jamaican Government in honour of its thriving tourist industry and Montego Bay communities.
After a busy five days, The Prince will retire privately for most of the following day on the Jamaican north coast. The Prince will then depart from Jamaica on the afternoon of Thursday 8th March, a moment that will conclude his tour on behalf of The Queen in celebration of Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee.
Turning to Brazil…..
To re-cap, The Prince is visiting Brazil on behalf of the British Government – to help support the UK’s interests in the region – and also in support of his own charitable activities and interests. The itinerary of the three-day official tour will reflect the vibrancy and diversity of Brazil, and its growing, strong relationship with the United Kingdom, especially in a year when we will hand over the Olympic baton to Rio de Janeiro. As you would expect, Prince Harry is hugely looking forward to visiting this wonderful country for the first time.
Prince Harry will arrive in Rio de Janeiro in the early morning of Friday 9th March. The Prince will have an informal arrival into Rio and will retire privately for the rest of the morning and afternoon, having just travelled on an overnight flight from Jamaica via the United States. The first formal engagement in Rio will be in the evening of Friday 9th March when Prince Harry will attend an event on Sugarloaf Mountain to launch the GREAT campaign. This is one of several global launch events for GREAT, which is aimed at maximising the economic potential of London 2012 and the Diamond Jubilee.
The event is billed as an opportunity to showcase to the world all that is great about the United Kingdom, as a place to visit, to study and to do business. The Prince will travel via cable car to a plateau at the base of the Mountain. It promises to be a spectacular event with giant images projected onto the side of Sugarloaf Mountain. The Prince will have an opportunity to meet a wide range of influential Brazilians as well as engaging with the best of British culture and business. Further details will be provided to you all by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in due course. Prince Harry will deliver his first speech in Brazil at this engagement.
On Saturday 10th March Prince Harry will have another active morning. He will take part in a British-themed sports day on a city-centre beach in Rio to further explore the links between London 2012 and Rio 2016. The Prince will start a Sport Relief mile run with groups of children and young adults, and he may take part. The Prince will then head to the beach to help coach touch rugby – some of you may recall that he is fully qualified rugby coach, a legacy of his GAP year. Rugby is a growing sport in Brazil, not least because it becomes an Olympic sport for the first time in 2016. The RFU, of which Prince Harry is Vice-Patron, and Premiership Rugby are actively supporting efforts to promote the game in Brazil. Following the rugby, Prince Harry will view and take part in a beach volleyball match. We expect the morning to be real fun.
In the afternoon, Prince Harry will take part in a community visit. More details about this will follow closer to the time, but this will be a lively event full of music and archetypical Brazilian informality.
In the evening, Prince Harry will depart for Sao Paolo State ahead of the final engagement of the tour, which will be the Sentebale Polo Cup on Sunday 11th March. The match will be held in the municipality of Campinas at a private polo ground. This will be the third Sentebale Polo Cup and, as always, is designed to raise money and awareness for Sentebale’s activities helping orphans and vulnerable children in Lesotho. Prince Harry will play for the Sentebale Team and will deliver a speech at a post-match lunch. The engagement will end mid-afternoon and that will mark the end of Prince Harry’s official visit to Brazil.
The Prince will then spend a couple of days in the interior of the country, where he will use the time privately to further his knowledge of and interest in conservation and the natural world, which is one of the three pillars of the Foundation.
Following The Prince’s return from Brazil to the United Kingdom, he will be straight back to work at Wattisham with the Army Air Corps.
Before I conclude this long monologue, a word from me, if I may, about costs, the flights and the tour party. The flights to and from the Caribbean will be scheduled, commercial, as will the flights to and from and within Brazil. The flights between each of the Caribbean Realms will be on a charter aircraft. To make these journeys on scheduled flights directly between the countries is impossible. Every effort is being made to keep the plane as small as possible and costs down.
The host Governments of Belize, The Bahamas and Jamaica are kindly paying for all in-country costs, but all the flights on the tour, including the charter aircraft, are being paid for by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. It goes without saying that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office are not funding The Prince’s visit to Campinas for the Sentebale Polo Cup or his private time on Foundation business after the Visit finishes.
The Tour party will consist of myself, The Prince’s Advisor Sir David Manning, The Prince’s Press Secretary Miguel, an orderly to help with logistics and an additional press officer during parts of the trip.
Thank you for listening.