Reason why Prince Harry extended his Nepal Trip

On what was expected to be his final official day at Nepal, Prince Harry made a surprise announcement that he isn’t quite ready to leave Nepal yet. The Royal, who was due to depart on Wednesday, announced his plan to extend his stay by yet another week to help rebuild a school which was affected by the quake. “The people I have met and the beauty of this country make it very hard to leave. Thankfully however, I’m not leaving just yet,” he said, explaining his plans to spend the next six days working on the earthquake relief project.

Delivering what was meant to be his farewell speech at the British Embassy, Harry said: “The people I have met and the beauty of this country make it very hard to leave.” “Thankfully however, I’m not leaving just yet!” he added, surprising fellow guests and royal watchers. “I’m so grateful to have this opportunity at the end of my official tour to do my small bit to help.”

As per the tweet by Kensington Palace, Prince Harry will camp with a group of volunteers in a remote village in central Nepal. A statement from Kensington Palace confirmed that Harry will play a full role in the project and spend the next week camping in the mountains. He will return to the UK at the end of the month. Along with a group of volunteers, the 31-year-old will trek into the mountains of central Nepal with his own equipment to assist the local community in all aspects of repairing and rebuilding their school.The prince’s official tour came to an end with a visit to the burn unit of a children’s hospital in Kathmandu, where he brought smiles to patients with jokes and high fives. He also delivered an impassioned speech during the opening of the Nepal Girl Summit, where he championed women’s rights and helping to overcome the “many obstacles between girls and the opportunities they deserve.”

He began his first visit to Nepal over the weekend, making stops at U.K. funded disaster relief operations and refugee camps. The royal is not the first in his immediate family to travel to Nepal. Both of his parents have already visited Nepal separately, which also includes a 1993 trip where Princess Diana met with leprosy patients. “Many members of my family have visited Nepal, including my father and my mother, who were both warmly welcomed.” Harry has called his trip to Nepal a “personal” one. Apart from the past visits from his parents, Nepal is also home to Gurkha soldiers, who are a part of British Army. Harry has great affinity with the Gurkhas as he has served alongside Gurkhas during his first tour of Afgahnisthan. “I am so grateful that I will have the opportunity to pay tribute to some of Nepal’s most famous ambassadors, the Gurkhas, admired the world over for their fearsome bravery and courage but also for their humility and kindness,” he said.

In his farwell speech, Harry mentioned some incredible people he met along the way, including 15-year-old Purushottam Suwal, the chairperson of the community committee at Byasi camp. “His energy and optimism was inspiring and I was left in no doubt why his community had picked him to lead them through such a difficult time,” said Harry. “I would not be surprised if I meet him again on a future visit as Prime Minister. Keep an eye out for him!”

“What happened in this country a year ago was a tragic disaster,” he concluded. “But the people I met showed me that everyone is focused on the work ahead.” After listing all the reasons why people should visit Nepal, Harry sweetly said: “Most of all you have to come to meet the people of Nepal. I have rarely in my life felt as welcomed as I have over the last few days. If anything I may have been a bit too welcome! This tika is here to stay.”