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Prince William attends the 21st World Scout Jamboree

27th July 2007

Prince William joined 40,000 young people at the 21st World Scout Jamboree in Chelmsford, Essex today to help mark 100 years of Scouting.

Prince William watched as The Duke of Kent, who is President of the Scout Association, formally opened the jamboree in front of thousands of scouts gathered for the official opening ceremony.

With 160 countries across the world represented, including Afghanistan and Iraq, the 21st Jamboree is the biggest event in Scouting history.

The Scout Association was founded by Robert Baden-Powell who opened the first Scout camp on Brownsea Island, off Poole, Dorset, on 1st August 1907.

During his visit to the Jamboree, Prince William spent several hours touring the sites and meeting scouts from many different cultures.

He sipped tea with Saudi Arabian scouts in a traditional Bedouin tent, beat an African drum with an international band of children and blew a kudu - an antelope horn which Robert Baden-Powell used to signal the start of the first camp.

The Prince also joined youngsters for a hot dog under a tent with a log fire burning nearby and joined in with groups of scouts as they played ball, clapping and team-building games.

Prince William was given a number of traditional Scout neckerchiefs by youngsters as he chatted and shook hands with many of those who were taking part in the 12-day festival.

In a speech, The Duke of Kent welcomed all the Scouts to Britain and said:  "You have travelled from all corners of the globe.

"You have brought with you your many different cultures, your difference experiences and your different faiths."

Before The Duke read a special message from The Queen, he said: “Our Promise has been a beacon of light over the last one hundred years.

"And now you are taking it forward into the wider world for the future.”

The Scout Association's 2007 centenary celebrations will involve 400,000 young people in the UK, with events at local, regional, national and international level.

The Scout Association believes in helping their members fulfil their full physical, intellectual social and spiritual potentials by working in teams, learning by doing and thinking for themselves.