ARRIVING in a Trans-Guyana Beechcraft jet sporting Guyana’s Jubilee Logo, His Royal Highness Prince Harry of Wales stepped out to a red carpet welcome amidst heightened security upon his arrival for his first visit to Guyana at precisely 12:57h at the Eugene F.

Correia International Airport at Ogle, East Coast Demerara.

In the blistering Friday sun, he was welcomed to the ‘Land of Many Waters’ by Guyana’s Vice President and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge, and British High Commissioner to Guyana, Greg Quinn, before being led to a Guard of Honour as the flags of the Commonwealth swayed in the Atlantic winds.

Seconds after inspecting the Guard of Honour, Prince Harry was whisked away in a Range Rover SUV from the airside of the airport as a pool of local, regional and international journalists and photographers jostled among themselves to capture the historic moment through their digital phones and cameras.

In Georgetown, Prince Harry and his entourage met with President David Granger and the Foreign Affairs Minister at the Ministry of the Presidency in a closed-door meeting.

Over at the Independence Arch, Coast Guards, decked in their white military uniforms, lined the entrance of Brickdam, while British security personnel inspected the area to ensure that all of the required security logistics were in place before the arrival of the Prince. One of his bodyguards was even seen smelling the wreath made of artificial flowers that was set aside to be laid by him at the Independence Arch.

A small group of Guyanese, including more than a dozen primary schoolchildren, flocked the area as they patiently awaited Prince Harry’s arrival. But for the security personnel, both local and foreign, the onlookers were infringing on the area designated for Prince Harry, and as such, several instructions were handed down to have the road cleared for the arrival of His Royal Highness. For some, this was too much to ask.

“Yuh know how long we out hey? Since 10 a clock,” one woman exclaimed as her friend nodded and another questioned: “But is how all these people reach in front of we?”
Their hopes of seeing the Prince of Wales soon materialised when he arrived at the Independence Arch in the company of the British High Commissioner, at approximately 14:00h, in keeping with his itinerary for the day.

In the absence of barricades, the security team attempted to keep the crowd in check as the Prince laid the wreath at the base of the arch. In the midst of the silence, a woman, who was previously heard speaking creolese, shouted in a British accent: “Somebody is pushing beyond the line! Somebody is pushing me! Security!”

Some media operatives, particularly the locals, left the Independence Arch enraged, claiming that sufficient provision was not made for them to capture the moment through their lenses. In fact, many parts of the areas surrounding the arch which media operatives thought were good vantage points were off limits, and as such some of them were unable to get good visibility.

Minutes after paying respects to Guyana at the Independence Arch, His Royal Highness visited Base Camp Ayanganna, headquarters of the Guyana Defence Force, where he met Chief of Staff, Brigadier George Allan Lewis, and Major General (Rtd) Joseph Singh, along with groups of officer cadets, serving officers, and veterans. For a brief period, he socialized with the military men and women to the sounds of steel band music playing in the background. While there, he was presented with several tokens of appreciation, including a book and a painting.

At the Commonwealth War Graves, situated at Eve Leary, Prince Harry laid another wreath in honour of those who had lost their lives during the two World Wars and the pre-Independence period, and interacted with High Commissioner Quinn as he inspected the headstones.

A short distance from where he laid the wreath in Eve Leary, a small group picketed his visit to Guyana.

Prince Harry is here on a three-day visit, after participating in the 50th Independence Anniversary celebrations in Barbados.
This is the first visit to Guyana by a member of the Royal Family since 2004, and comes in the year of Guyana’s 50th Anniversary of Independence. His Royal Highness is on an official visit to the Caribbean in the late autumn, on behalf of Her Majesty The Queen.

(Delano Williams & Fareeza Haniff photos)