Prince Harry Gets Down And Dirty In Nepal

Prince Harry has been covered in paint during his trip to Nepal as part of the Holi festival of colour.

Harry wanted to experience everything Nepal could throw at him and with his hosts up in a hilltop village celebrating the festival this week, he was happy to get his hands and face dirty.

Happily joining in, the Prince was splattered with red paint, but then got his own back on his hosts by covering them with paint too.

He had trekked to Okhari, a remote hillside community, to see how the Gurkha Welfare Trust is helping to reconstruct the Gauda secondary school after it was destroyed in last year's earthquake.

Harry was again showered in garlands and scarves when he arrived in the village.

He was covered in so many that he joked "you're wrapping me like a present, there's no space left!"

The night before he had stayed up in the hills with a Gurkha family and woke up early to see the sunrise over the distant mountains.

Reflecting on his short stay with Mangali Tamang, 86, a widow of a former Gurkha rifleman, he said: "It was amazing really, peaceful actually.

"Lots of dogs barking, but it didn't seem to bother them.

"Apparently the locals, they're happy if the dogs are barking, but they're not happy if their dogs are not barking."

The people of Nepal have made him feel at home, and there was a serious gesture of thanks he wanted to make by travelling to the British Gurkha camp in Pokhara.

 

After serving in Afghanistan, alongside soldiers from Nepal, he lay a wreath at the camp for those killed in service.

On a card he had written "with the deepest admiration, respect and gratitude. Your sacrifice will never be forgotten", showing his solidarity with the families who have lost loved ones fighting for our country, and those who continue to serve.