Prince Harry lauds resilience of Nepalese people

Kathmandu: Britain's Prince Harry on Sunday saluted the resilience of Nepalese people still struggling to recover from last year's devastating earthquakes as he called on the President and discussed post-quake rehabilitation efforts during his maiden visit to Himalayan nation.

Prince Harry, who arrived here yesterday on the five-day visit to mark the 200th anniversary of the UK-Nepal ties, called on President Bidya Devi Bhandari at her residence in Sheetal Niwas and said that he was delighted to be in the country.

The 31-year-old said he hopes to "shine a spotlight" on resilience of Nepali people still recovering from last April's devastating earthquakes which claimed nearly 9,000 lives.

"I want to show all those people around the world who want to help that Nepal is a country open for business, so please come and visit again," he said.

Welcoming the Prince, President Bhandari highlighted on enhancing bilateral cooperation between Britain and Nepal.

"They had a wide-ranging and friendly conversation, covering earthquake recovery, the importance of tourism, conservation and climate change," a Kensington Palace spokesman said.

Harry praised the Nepalese people for what he called their "resolve and resilience" in the wake of the disaster.

He visited artisans and apprentices working to restore the royal palace at Patan Durbar Square, which was heavily damaged by the quake.

The UNESCO World Heritage Site was among many damaged by the 7.8-magnitude earthquake on April 25 and the second tremor on May 12.

He also visited Taleju Mandir, Krishna Mandir, Char Narayan Mandir among other places.

The Prince yesterday called on Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and discussed cooperation between the two nations.

During his meeting with Oli, Harry praised the role played by Gorkha soldiers in the British Army and inquired about the conservation efforts made by Nepal in protecting endangered wild animals including tiger and one-horned rhino.

This is the first time Harry is visiting Nepal. Queen Elizabeth had visited Nepal in 1961 and 1986. Prince Charles, late Princess Diana and Prince Philip have also visited Nepal.

The UK has been one of the largest bilateral donors to Nepal, with a total commitment of 70 million pounds in earthquake relief, providing relief to over 250,000 people with shelter in the past year, according to British government figures.