Prince Harry has always said Africa is one of the few places he can truly be himself.
Yesterday that meant donning a pink Paddington Bear pinny to make cakes with disadvantaged children in Lesotho.
In jeans and desert boots, the 28-year-old also took part in an impromptu dance session on his knees in the dust.
The
prince is on a three-day visit to the tiny land-locked kingdom in South
Africa, touring projects that are being supported by his charity,
Sentebale.
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Getting his groove on: There were smiles all
round as the Prince swayed to the beat while visiting a school for deaf
children in South Africa
Showing some moves: Prince Harry has always said
that Africa is one of the few places in the world he can 'truly be
himself.' He certainly proved that as he took to his knees and danced on
the grass
Regal dance: Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso dancing during a visit to the Kananelo Centre for the Deaf
Rhythm: The Prince demonstrated he had a
remarkably good sense of rhythm - much more so than his father - as he
shimmied in time to the traditional whoops and wails of the youngsters
Copy me: As the group danced Prince Harry looked behind to copy the children's moves
Clapping: Looking hot under the South African sun the Prince clapped as he joined in the dance on the grass
Duties: His morning's work included a lesson in
sign language, cooking up a batch of doughnuts - and proving something
of a storm on the dancefloor
His morning's work
included a lesson in sign language, cooking up a batch of doughnuts -
and proving something of a storm on the dancefloor.
After a brief introduction to the
school and its work, it was back to the classroom for Harry who was
never a natural scholar and was definitely in 'mufty' for the day,
wearing low-slung jeans, scuffed desert boots and a white cotton shirt.
'Now I am going to be a student for the day?' He asked.
'I can tell you I'm going to remember none of this.'
The
prince joined an English class, who has written warm words of welcome
on their blackboard - including 'we love you Prince Harry'.
He was taught a series of phrases in sign language by 14-year-old Nandos
Chabalalan including the words for family, father, mother, brother,
sister and baby.
New friend: A girl at the school pulls Prince Harry to come and join in their activities
Affinity: The third in line to the throne was a natural with the children he met today at the Kananelo Centre
The prince also managed to sign 'my name is Harry' and wiped his brow theatrically as he managed to pull it off.
His companion, Prince Seeiso of
Lesotho, with whom he co-founded Sentebale, had him in stitches as he
asked the children to teach the red-headed royal the word for ginger.
The pair proved to be quite the comedy act as Harry quickly retorted; 'What about the word for bald!'
Still the 28-year-old was nothing
less than game as he played along with the giggling children, showing
his genuine affinity with the youngsters as he helped to pluck sobbing
Limpho Nekoana, whose named means gift, out of the class when he became
distressed and giving him a comforting cuddle.
Amused: With a toothy grin and prominent ears it
may not be the most flattering Royal portrait. But Prince Harry was
delighted with the sketch on a South African classroom chalk board
At his best: The prince looked relaxed and happy as he joked around with the children in the classroom
New start: The Kananelo Centre is one of only
two organisations offering schooling for deaf children in the country -
where disability has, for many years, been considered 'shameful'
As one young pupil walked around
eating a sweet and smiling, the prince joked about his own schooldays at
Eton; 'At my school you couldn't just walk around like that.'
Next it was on to a home economics
class where a group of children were being taught to make 'fat cakes', a
local doughnut style delicacy.
Harry collapsed in giggles and rolled
his eyes when asked to don a rather feminine lilac pinny but was even
more amused by the frilly one that Prince Seeiso was offered.
The pair were handed a huge vat of dough to roll out.
'And here's one we made earlier,' he joked, as Seeiso pretended to hit him with the rolling pin.
He whipped up a batch of the cakes and, suprisingly, offered them to the watching press men.
In a recent interview the Prince complained bitterly about his
relationship the media but showed a good sense of humour when asked if
they were a 'peace offering'.
Grants: The boarding school is run by nuns
from the order of the Holy Family of Bordeaux and has been hugely helped
by grants from Sentebale
Taking questions: The Kananelo Centre for the
Deaf strives to be a self-sustaining facility, which provides quality
education and living standards for students with special needs
Big hit: Prince Harry was a big hit with the children who all wanted to have a chance to chat with him
'You should be giving them to me!' he laughed.
This was Prince Harry's first public engagement since returning from a four-month posting to
Afghanistan as an Apache attack helicopter pilot.
Although the first two days of the
trip were conducted privately, Harry invited a small number of cameras
and journalists – including the Daily Mail - to join him on his last
morning in the capital, Maseru.
Sentebale,
which works to help vulnerable children in Lesotho, is a cause
incredibly close to the third-in-line-to-the-throne’s heart.
Hands dirty: Strapping on in pink apron with a Paddington Bear print the prince rolled up his sleeves in a cookery class
Prankster: Prince Harry cowers from a joke rolling-pin attack during the visit
Getting stuck in: The Prince looked animated as he helped students make the food in the hot classroom
Culinary skills: He whipped up a batch of the cakes and, suprisingly, offered them to the watching press men
Good humour: Prince Harry laughed as he noticed the choice of apron he was given
He set the charity up in 2006 with a member of Lesotho’s own royal family, Prince Seeiso, in memory of both their late mothers.
In
Sesotho, the language of Lesotho, Sentebale means ‘forget me not’ and
Harry hopes that in championing a small, forgotten and frankly
unfashionable part of the world he is, in some way, continuing the work
that was close to Diana, Princess of Wales’s heart.
Known as the Mountain Kingdom,
Lesotho is a 11,000 square mile former British protectorate entirely
surrounded by neighbouring South Africa which has a population of just
1.8 million, many of whom live in highland villages which can only be
reached by foot or horseback.
Relaxed: Prince Harry smiled broadly as he toured the project wearing a relaxed white shirt and jeans
Legacy: In Sesotho, the language of Lesotho,
Sentebale means ‘forget me not’ and Harry hopes that in championing a
small, forgotten and frankly unfashionable part of the world he is,
continuing his mother's work
It
faces huge social and economic problems: more than 40 per cent of his
inhabitants live below the international poverty line and it has the
third highest HIV/Aids rates in the world.
Life
expectancy for men and women is just 41 years, meaning the country has
an increasing number of children orphaned by - and suffering from - the
disease.
Recent studies suggest that there are
more than 488,000 orphans and vulnerable children in Lesotho with
37,172 under the age of 14 infected with HIV.
Today
the prince is visiting two projects helping some of the country’s most
defenceless youngsters – the Kananelo Centre for the Deaf and the St
Bernadette’s Centre for the Blind.
The
Kananelo Centre is one of only two organisations offering schooling for
deaf children in the country - where disability has, for many years,
been considered ‘shameful’ - and currently boasts 85 pupils aged
between five and 21.
The boarding school is run by nuns
from the order of the Holy Family of Bordeaux and has been hugely helped
by grants from Sentebale which have funded new dormitories and solar
panels which are now used to heat its water.
Show around: Principle Mary Patisi, who was
eager to show Harry the results of his work, said: 'We love him so much,
he is our treasure'
Fans: It would seem that Prince Harry is a hit with the children at the Kannanel Centre for the Deaf
Special event: The children hold a greeting for the arrival of Prince Harry
At
St Bernadatte’s Centre for the Blind, which cares for 70 children aged
between six and 23, Harry is considered ‘an angel from the heaven’
after helping to build dormitories for the children, who until then had
been sleeping on the floor.
He
appeared visibly moved as some of the youngsters sang him a traditional
song in the Sesotho language in which they told the British royal how
much they 'leant on him' and tapped his foot in time to their soaring
chants.
Then it was
time for a game of football with a group of students whose skill and
enthusiasm despite their lack of sight was astonishing.
Harry watched at first, marvelling at how the boys darted , tackled and scored without being able to ever see the ball.
'It's as if they instinctively just sense it,' he said.
Close to his heart:
Sentebale, which works to help vulnerable children in Lesotho, is a
cause incredibly close to the third-in-line-to-the-throne's heart
Memory: Prince Harry set the charity up in 2006
with a member of Lesotho's own royal family, Prince Seeiso, in memory of
both their late mothers
He also raised funds to build a wall
around the school, which was open to the elements and plagued by theft,
as well as buy them cookers, pots and pans.
Principle
Mary Patisi, who was eager to show Harry the results of his work, said:
‘We love him so much, he is our treasure. What he has done for us here
can never be repaid. The children adore him.’
'Prince
Harry promised he will continue to help us. He told me 'anything you
want, promise you will ask me'. He has said that he will help us
refurbish our playground and anything else we want. We are truly
grateful,' she explained.
Prince
Seeiso said of his friend: 'I remember when he first came as a
relatively young chap straight out of school. I have watched him over
the years - and being allowed to come here and be himself - I've seen
the boy grow into a solid man with a proper vision about what he wants
to do here in Lesotho and also in life.'
Lined up: At St. Bernadette's Resource Centre for the Blind the children lined excitedly to meet the Prince
Warm: The Prince bent down to shake their hands laughing with the girls
New start: Prince Harry also raised funds to
build a wall around the school, which was open to the elements and
plagued by theft, as well as buy them cookers, pots and pans
Return: Prince Harry will be flying back to the
UK on Friday to resume his military duties at RAF Wattisham in Suffolk
after a period of leave
Later today the prince will fly onto Johannesburg in neighbouring South Africa for a very different kind of engagement.
The first Sentebale Gala Dinner marks
the launch of a £2.4 million fundraising campaign to build the first
permanent centre for children and young people infected with, or
affected by, HIV and Aids in Lesotho.
The Mamohato Centre will provide
psychological care and mentoring for children who are often stigmatised
as a result of the disease.
Caring side: Prince Harry watches intently as a child reads Braille at the home
Taking a break: Prince Harry watches children play games at the St. Bernadette School for the visually impaired
Among
the guests at the lavish event at glitzy Summer Place will be Patrice
Motsepe, a South African mining magnate who was one of South Africa’s
first billionaires.
Earlier
this year he announced that he would be giving away half his estimated
£2.5 billion fortune to charity - and it is clearly considered a coup
for Sentebale that he is due to attend.
The charity has already announced
that it wants to expand its work to a further four countries outside of
Lesotho and quadruple its annual income to £8 million within the next
four years.
Game on: Then it was time for a game of football
with a group of students whose skill and enthusiasm despite their lack
of sight was astonishing
Awe: Harry watched at first, marvelling at how the boys darted , tackled and scored without being able to ever see the ball
Marveling: It's as if they instinctively just sense it,' Prince Harry said as he watched the game
Harry will
be flying back to the UK on Friday to resume his military duties at RAF
Wattisham in Suffolk after a period of leave, meaning he has had to turn
down an invitation to join his new girlfriend, Cressida Bonas, at her
half-sister’s wedding in South Africa next week.
Last
week the pair were photographed in an affectionate embrace during a ski
holiday in Verbier, sparking speculation that he may meet the rest of
her family at the wedding of Isabella Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe to
tycoon Sir Richard Branson’s son, Sam.
Harry
is, however, said to be ‘smitten’ with the beautiful 24-year-old dance
student, daughter of one of the most celebrated debutantes of her era,
Lady Mary Curzon.
