Thursday 1 December 2016

Prince Harry in the Caribbean, Day Eleven - Barbados revised


That's gone well - Prince Harry looking very pleased to meet Rihanna during his Caribbean tour
(photo Kensington Royal Twitter)

A little bit of rain was never going to dampen down Prince Harry. Come to mention it, a lot of rain wasn't going to make a difference to this prince. Harry added an engagement to his Caribbean tour after a deluge on his debut day in Barbados and then went back to finish a rained off moment as well as meeting one of the world's most famous pop stars and going to one of the biggest concerts of the year. Harry won't be forgetting this part of his Caribbean tour in a hurry.




Harry is in Barbados to join in celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the country's independence but rain came close to stopping play on his first day in the nation. Day two, November 30th 2016, saw him more than make up for lost time as he firstly headed to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, an extra engagement on the tour itinerary but one Harry was keen to carry out. He went to the hospital to thank staff for their work during the independence anniversary celebrations.


Harry met doctors and nurses as well as patients at the hospital and was greeted with hugs and smiles all round.


A hug for Harry at the hospital on day ten of his visit to the Caribbean
(photo Kensington Royal Twitter)

Ahead of World AIDS Day on December 1st, Harry also took the time to speak to staff about how they are dealing with HIV/ AIDS in Barbados in an interview shared on Twitter.






Harry's next stop was St Ann's Fort where the previous night he had been meant to attend the reveal of the 50th Anniversary of Independence National Monument, designed by Taisha Carrington until the rain intervened.



That was still to come but first Harry attended a military parade marking the anniversary where he reviewed the Guard. Prince Harry is carrying out this tour on behalf of the Queen and he also read out a message from his grandmother in which she said that she sent her congratulations and added that ''our countries have a shared history, shared values and an affection which continues to bind us in friendship.''





Then it was inside to meet many of those who helped bring independence to Barbados and hear a speech from the country's Prime Minister as the Toast to the Nation event continued. Oh, and meet Rihanna. You know those moments that everyone wants to see and which become tour defining? Yep, one of those.




As darkness fell, the ceremony revealing the special monument which was meant to happen at midnight as the anniversary of independence arrived, finally took place with Harry helping to unveil it.





And then it was time to party. There were fireworks, there was a prince with no tie (again) and there was a huge concert.


The celebrations culminated in the anniversary concert with Harry giving a speech before the music started and congratulating the Queen's Young Leader from Barbados, Jamella Sealy. Oh, and he sat next to Rihanna again.  It really was a glittering night.



Harry's Caribbean Tour continues with a third day in Barbados on December 1st 2016.

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