Could this remote African lodge called The Shipwreck be their honeymoon destination?
Asix-foot pair of skull and crossbones adorn the wrought-iron entrance gates. The shoreline, an endless vista of sand backed by formidable dunes, is strewn with the bleached bones of whales and debris from the more than 1,000 wrecked ships that have met their fate here. By day, the temperature can change in an instant, from hot sunshine to bone-chilling winds. At night, an eerie fog drifts in from the ocean.
It doesn’t sound like a typical honeymoon destination… let alone one fit for the newlywed royals. But Namibia’s bleak but hauntingly beautiful Skeleton Coast, located in the arid northwest of the African country, has emerged as frontrunner for Harry and Meghan’s honeymoon destination.
And sources have told the Mail that €920-a-night Shipwreck Lodge, a new luxury hideaway in the remote spot, is being tipped as the couple’s venue of choice.
The hotel, a trendy eco-friendly safari lodge whose striking architecture is inspired by wrecked ships, is to open on June 1 – and insiders say builders are ‘frantically working to get it ready’ for the royal honeymooners.
Double chalets at Skeleton Lodge are set on a private patch of sand and equipped with an outdoor hot tub, wood-burning stove, chandeliers, faux-fur animal throws and views of the windswept dunes, where lions, elephants and kudu can be spotted.
Appealing only to ‘exclusive clientele’, the hotel also boasts a gourmet restaurant, bar and lounge with wraparound deck, where those fortunate enough to bag one of its ten rooms can sip cocktails as the sun sets.
However, Kensington Palace has confirmed that, like William and Kate in 2011, Meghan and Harry won’t go on honeymoon straight away. Instead, they’ll stay in the UK to attend Prince Charles’s 70th birthday celebrations next Tuesday. There are also plans for a trip to Dublin within weeks.
Indeed, their joint schedules are so busy over the coming months that some have predicted August is the earliest they will be able to escape. Last month, a local wrote on Facebook: ‘A little birdie told me that Prince Harry and Meghan are here for their honeymoon.’
A spokesman for the lodge did not deny claims that Harry and Meghan might soon be jetting in, but said: ‘Unfortunately, we cannot comment on or confirm the rumours that the royal couple will be staying at Shipwreck Lodge.’
Sources say Namibia, and the arresting landscape of the Skeleton Coast, is certainly top of Harry and Meghan’s list. Both have done extensive charity and conservation work there and in neighbouring Botswana, and Africa is a continent close to their hearts.
Shipwreck Lodge, which is owned by the government in conjunction with three upmarket travel agencies, has a number of activities on offer for any adventurous couple.
Day trips include excursions to the Mowe Bay seal colony, hyenaspotting at the Hoarusib River, sundowner cocktails in the dunes and treks to the homes of the nomadic Himba people.