The Duchess of Cornwall looked rather fab in a Zulu headdress she tried on in Freedom Square, Soweto

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Prince of Wales has a ‘whale’ of a time in South Africa

Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, has had a ‘whale’ of a time in South Africa where he was accompanied by his wife Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall. South Africa, a member of the Commonwealth, was included as one of the Prince’s destinations in his Autumn Tour 2011, along with Kuwait, Qatar, and […]

08-09-15 14:59
The Duchess of Cornwall looked rather fab in a Zulu headdress she tried on in Freedom Square, Soweto

Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, has had a ‘whale’ of a time in South Africa where he was accompanied by his wife Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall.

Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla, in Soweto
The Duchess of Cornwall looked rather fab in a Zulu headdress she tried on in Freedom Square, Soweto Credit: www.princeofwales.gov.uk

South Africa, a member of the Commonwealth, was included as one of the Prince’s destinations in his Autumn Tour 2011, along with Kuwait, Qatar, and Tanzania. The British royal couple visited Johannesburg, KwaZulu-Natal and Cape Town.

You can view some of the highlights below, as well as comments from their Clarence House blog:

Johannesburg

“…The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall spent a vibrant first day in Johannesburg, South Africa. They visited Freedom Square in Soweto, a women’s refuge in a nearby township and the Nelson Mandela Foundation, where they were hosted by the former President’s wife, Graça Machel. Additionally, The Prince attended a corporate leaders group on climate change, before The Duchess joined him for a garden party at the High Commission and a reception for UK Trade and Investment. The day finished with a meeting and dinner with the Acting President of South Africa and senior political leaders.”

Prince Charles in Soweto South Africa
Prince Charles met a couple of models who were wearing traditional gear during his visit to Freedom Square in Soweto Credit: www.princeofwales.gov.uk
Prince Charles and Camilla in Soweto
The Prince and his wife were entertained by a group of Sowetan school children as well as the famous Soweto Gospel Choir. Credit: www.princeofwales.gov.uk
Prince Charles and Camilla with Nelson Mandela's wife
The Prince and Duchess were greeted by Nelson Mandela's wife, Graca Machel, during their visit to the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Johannesburg Credit: www.princeofwales.gov.uk
Acting President Kgalema Motlanthe and his Partner Gugu Mtshali welcomed their Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Conwall to OR Tambo House in Pretoria. Credit: ThePresidency

KwaZulu-Natal

Prince Charles and Camilla visited members of the Zulu community and exchanged gifts with King Swelethini at Ulundi Palace.

From the blog: “Later Their Royal Highnesses visited Phinda, a nature reserve and an excellent example of eco-tourism, where they hoped to observe the black rhino. WIth only 2000 left in the world, the black rhino is subject to a conservation campaign by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The Prince became President of the WWF in the UK this year and found out more about the charity’s work during his visit.”

View video footage:

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dK9tCjxNocc

Cape Town

The Prince and The Duchess visited Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens together, as well as a hake trawler to “see how sustainable fishing practices are being employed in order to protect fish stocks”.

The Prince attended a reception to support the Campaign for Wool in South Africa and gave a speech at Cape Town University (UCT) about environment, climate change and then eed for global action.

The Prince of Wales also visited Kuyasa Township to view the environmental solar panel project, and together the couple attended a Sunday service at St. George’s Cathedral where they met  the Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, Thabo Cecil Makgoba and the former Archbishop, Desmond Tutu.

Prince Charles Cape Town
The Prince and Duchess in Cape Town Credit: www.princeofwales.gov.uk