Prince Harry's visit to Barbados

Prince Harry's will visit Barbados to join their 50th anniversary celebrations of independence. This is an important moment in the country's history, and one that thousands of Barbadians will celebrate together.

Tuesday 29th November

Prince Harry will arrive at the Bridgetown Port, which sits on the Southwestern part of the island and is the gateway to the capital. His Royal Highness will be greeted by a military parade, before he makes the short journey to Government House for a meeting with the Governor General, His Excellency Sir Elliott Belgrave, and to present a number of Duke of Edinburgh Award candidates with their Gold Award. Prince Harry will then pay a courtesy call on the Prime Minister Mr Freundel Stuart at his official residence Ilaro Court, before returning to Government House to attend a luncheon hosted by the Governor General.

That afternoon Prince Harry will visit the Nightengale Children's Home, an organisation offering accommodation, support and care to children from birth up until the age of 18, including young children with learning disabilities and health problems. During the visit, His Royal Highness will meet some of these children who call Nightengale home, learn about the support available from members of staff, and officially open two of the Home's recently renovated buildings. Prince Harry will also watch the children partake in a game of road tennis – one of the country's most popular sports, which dates back to the 1930s.

Prince Harry will conclude his first day in Barbados by attending the reveal of the 50th Anniversary of Independence National Monument. This evening event, broadcast live, will take place at the Garrison Savannah, the very site where independence was born at midnight on November 30th, 1966.  A special ceremony featuring a variety of performers will commemorate this important moment in Barbados' history, culminating in the reveal of a monument designed by 24 year old art student Taisha Carrington. The design focuses around the Barbadian trident emblem , which will form the final part of the monument, and which until now has been touring the length and breadth of Barbados, leading up to this moment.

Wednesday 30th November

The next morning Prince Harry will return to the Garrison Savannah for the 50th Anniversary of Independence Military Parade. National Uniformed Groups will be represented in this colourful and impressive parade, where His Royal Highness will inspect the Guard of Honour and be joined by the Governor General, Prime Minister and other senior dignitaries to continue the celebrations. Following the parade, Prince Harry will join guests at the Officers' Mess at St Ann's Fort, where the Prime Minister will deliver a speech and raise a 'Toast to the Nation'.

This evening will see one of the most exciting events of the tour: The Golden Anniversary Spectacular Mega Concert. This extravaganza will be held at the Garrison Savannah, with an expected audience of tens of thousands joining the party. The last five decades of Barbadian history will be highlighted, with live performances featuring the best of Barbadian talent, from singers and dancers, to orchestras, icons and celebrated entertainers, one of whom will be Rihanna – all set to perform. Here, Prince Harry will take in the celebrations, and deliver a short speech before the concert kicks off.

Thursday 1st December

Prince Harry's final day in Barbados coincides with World AIDS day, a topic of great importance to His Royal Highness. The Barbados National HIV/AIDS programme has highlighted men as being at significantly high risk - they are more likely to be diagnosed late with HIV compared to women and are also more likely to die from AIDS-related illnesses. To raise awareness, the National HIV/AIDS Commission in Barbados is trying to remove the stigma associated with the illness and encourage men to get tested and talk more openly about the disease. Over the last four years, a successful drop-in market-stall event has been run on World AIDS day, featuring stalls including a barber's shop and even a condom corner, ultimately encouraging men to drop in and have a relaxed conversation about an important topic. A special ‘Man Aware’ event will be held in Heroes Square in the centre of Bridgetown this year, where Prince Harry will take the opportunity to meet with volunteers manning the stands, and members of the public dropping in to visit the stalls.

His Royal Highness will then travel to the Barbadian countryside to spend time with the team at the Nature Fun Ranch in St Andrew. This special and impressive programme is run by Mr Corey Lane, himself a once-troubled teen who has devoted himself to helping young people with their personal development, by cultivating positive outlooks. The ranch allows young people to speak freely with one another about important topics, including HIV/AIDS, providing them with a positive focus to guide their lives in the right direction, in a rural setting while tending to horses, working vegetable patches, or managing fish hatcheries. Prince Harry will tour the ranch, and meet the young people working there who are benefiting from the programme.  

That afternoon Prince Harry will make his way to Paragon Base, the home of the Barbados Defence Force. Here, His Royal Highness will see how the Eastern Caribbean countries work together at the Regional Security System (RSS), and learn more about the Defence Force's response to combatting security threats and the drugs trade operating within the region. Prince Harry will also have the opportunity to informally meet a number of the Defence Force trainee soldiers, and see some of the base's facilities.

The end of Prince Harry's visit to Barbados will be marked the following day with an official departure from the airport, as His Royal Highness travels on to Guyana.

Prince Harry is visiting Barbados as part of his official visit to the Caribbean on behalf of Her Majesty The Queen. Find out more about the visit here.