Edward and Sophie welcomed to Nepal by president of Himalayan nation
Edward and Sophie welcomed to Nepal by president of Himalayan nation
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The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh have joked that posing in front of a photo of Everest would be the closest they get to the famous mountain as they started an official royal tour in Nepal. The couple met the president of the south Asian country as they arrived on Tuesday for a six-day stay to celebrate its close ties with the UK. The duke and duchess were greeted by President Ram Chandra Paudel and his wife Sabita Paudel at the Presidential Palace in Kathmandu, where they discussed their first visit to the Himalayan nation.
Sophie, who celebrated her 60th birthday a fortnight ago, and her husband, the King’s youngest brother, signed a guest book in front of a photo of Mount Everest. Edward said: “That is rather special isn’t it,” while the duchess joked: “That’s as close as I’m going to get, sadly… this time.”. The annual report on the Brigade of Gurkhas was handed to the president by Major General Gerald Strickland, the Colonel Commandant of the military unit.
The Edinburghs will attend the Attestation Parade for new Gurkha recruits at the British Gurkha Camp in the lakeside city of Pokhara. It marks young Nepali service personnel formally joining the British Army, and celebrates the long tradition of collaboration between the two nations. They will also travel to the village of Ghandruk, perched in the foothills with views of the Annapurna mountain range.
Before leaving Kathmandu they will meet organisations providing healthcare and support to survivors of trafficking and gender-based violence. The couple will meet young people taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award, women’s rights activists and people campaigning for a more equal and inclusive society. Buckingham Palace said: “The visit will celebrate the close ties between the UK and Nepal, and reinforce shared interests including youth opportunity, healthcare, equality for women and girls, and conservation and biodiversity.”.
The King visited Nepal in 1998 as the Prince of Wales, and his and Edward’s parents Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the late Duke of Edinburgh, travelled there in 1986. The late Queen and Philip also visited Nepal in 1961, when they rode on elephants to watch a tiger shoot arranged by King Mahendra in a jungle near Kathmandu. Philip was unable to join in with the shoot because of an infected finger.
