Prince Harry to explore SVG, make dedication to Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy

During the one-day visit of His Royal Highness Prince Harry to St Vincent and the Grenadines on Saturday, November 26, he will visit two of this country’s prized eco-tourism sites, as well as a beach to learn about turtle conservation efforts here.{{more}}

The Prince will arrive in the country at the Kingstown Cruise Terminal pier, where he will be met by Governor General Sir Frederick Ballantyne, other government officials and a military parade, at which he will formally inspect the guard.

From there, Prince Harry will travel to the Botanic Gardens, the oldest tropical gardens in the Western world, which celebrated its 250th anniversary in 2015. Boasting a wealth of tropical plants, flowers, trees and birds, the gardens are also home to the beautiful St Vincent Parrot, the Amazona Guildingii, the country’s national bird. Here, His Royal Highness will tour the site, watching a number of cultural performances and will plant a commemorative baobab tree to mark the visit.

Prince Harry will then visit the Vermont Nature Trail, located in St Vincent’s beautiful southern interior. His Royal Highness will walk a short part of a trail that hikers worldwide travel to the country to enjoy, meeting local guides and those who work on the trail’s maintenance en route. Here, Prince Harry will unveil a dedication to The Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy, which is a global forestry project which invites Commonwealth countries to dedicate indigenous forests to be preserved in perpetuity for future generations. Three other dedications to The Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy will be unveiled by Prince Harry during his visit to the Caribbean.

The others are the Victoria Park Botanical Gardens in St John’s, Antigua and Barbuda; all of the forest above an elevation of 1,000 feet within the Central Forest Reserve National Park in St Kitts/Nevis; and the Castries Water Works Reserve and surrounding rainforest in St Lucia.

During the afternoon, of November 26, His Royal Highness will visit one of St Vincent’s beaches to learn more about the country’s initiatives which inspire young people through education in schools to care about and protect the endangered population of sea turtles on St Vincent’s shores. Following a recent announcement from the Prime Minister, Dr Ralph Gonsalves, declaring it illegal to catch or kill sea turtles or disturb their nests in St Vincent, Prince Harry will hear directly from the local schoolchildren about the various conservation projects they are involved in to help preserve these endangered species. Before departing St Vincent and the Grenadines, Prince Harry will attend a reception hosted by the Governor General and the Prime Minister at the Cruise Ship Terminal.

Prince Harry’s official visit to the Caribbean is being undertaken on behalf of Her Majesty The Queen, between November 20 and December 4. He will visit seven countries including the Realms of Antigua and Barbuda, St Kitts/Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada and Barbados, as well as visiting Guyana on behalf of the Foreign Office.