KATHMANDU: Last week he spoke of his mother looking down on him "with tears in her eyes", and as Prince Harry arrived in Nepal yesterday (Saturday), Diana, Princess of Wales loomed large over his first visit to the Himalayan country.
During a welcome speech by Nepal's deputy prime minister, much was made of the Princess's visit in 1993, when she famously visited a leper colony.
What remained unsaid was the fact that the visit was Diana's first foreign tour following her separation from the Prince of Wales, and that it was the moment the Princess was shown in no uncertain terms that she no longer had full royal status.
There was no national anthem for the Princess, no front-rank dignitaries to greet her, and no official welcome from Nepal's royal family (since abolished).
Prince Harry, of course, concentrated on the positives as he told his Nepali hosts that his family, and Britain as a whole, had nothing but respect and admiration for the country and its people, and in particular the Gurkhas who have served the Crown for 200 years.
He said: "I am honoured and excited to be here. Many members of my family have visited Nepal, including my father and my mother, who were both warmly welcomed. For me, this trip is also personal. 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."
Kamal Thapa, the deputy prime minister, pointed out that Prince Harry's parents had visited in 1993 and 1998, but did not mention that they had visited separately.
When the Princess visited in 1993 she was not welcomed with the national anthem but with a medley of Spanish pop tunes rounded off with the Colonel Bogey March.
She stayed at the British embassy, rather than the Nepalese royal palace. It was Prince Dipendra, not King Birendra and Queen Aishwarya, who hosted the banquet for her at the palace on March 3. Although she did meet the royal couple later, it was at a private dinner.
The Princess said her visit was in her capacity as patron of the British Red Cross Youth and the Leprosy Mission.
The Prince, who served alongside Gurkhas during his first tour of Afghanistan, has said there is "no safer place" than by the side of a Gurkha, and will spend the night as the guest of an 86-year-old widow of a Gurkha in her remote Himalayan home.
His five-day visit will also highlight the work being done to rebuild homes following last April's earthquake that killed 9,000.
He added: "I pay my respects to those who perished and hope to do what I can to shine a spotlight on the resolve and resilience of the Nepalese people.
"I want to show all those people around the world who want to help that this is a country open for business - so please come and visit again."
The Prince began and ended his speech by speaking Nepali, saying namaste (hello) and dhanyabad (thank you).
Earlier, the Prince was welcomed to Nepal by the prime minister, Khadga Prasad Oli, with a traditional "prayer hands" greeting.
The Prince has said Britain owes Nepal a "favour" for the sacrifices made by Gurkhas in two centuries of wars.
Alex Pope, of the Gurkha Welfare Trust, which supports the 25,000 Gurkha pensioners in Nepal, said: "There is a lot of excitement about his visit - the Gurkhas have great respect for the Royal family in general and it's well known among the Gurkha community that Harry served alongside 1st Bn Royal Gurkha Rifles in Afghanistan in 2008, so Harry is particularly popular.
"They have been talking about what an honour it is that a prince from a faraway land is coming to visit them in their villages."
Prince Harry will meet the families of Gurkhas killed in Afghanistan, and will also visit the military base in Pokhara where Gurkhas are chosen via a selection process that is regarded as one of the toughest in the world.
Last year marked the bicentenary of Gurkhas entering the British Army.
