WHERE SECRET LOVE BLOOMED
Harry and Meghan cemented their romance at a plush hideaway in Botswana, writes Patrick Sawer
It really is the kind of place where one could fall in love; in love with the country, the stars, and, crucially, with the person standing beside you. That, by their own account, is what happened to Prince Harry and his fiancée Meghan Markle in Botswana. It was here, by the dark blue waters of the Boteti River, that the pair first began to get to know each other properly. The recently engaged couple said in an interview that their first proper date was a secret five-day holiday in August last year. Harry said: “We camped out with each other under the stars.”
The Telegraph has revealed that their romantic hideaway was in the heart of the Okavango Delta, Botswana, at the £1 000-anight Meno A Kwena tented camp, on the edge of Makgadikgadi Pans National Park.
Meno A Kwena (“teeth of the crocodile”) guards its secrecy closely, making it ideal for a prince who, at that stage at least, was reluctant to advertise his new romance.
The camp lies 120km east of the town of Maun, in a region Harry knows well.
He first came here in 1997 to help him cope with the death of his mother. Subsequent trips were for happier reasons, including one in 2007 with Chelsy Davy, his then girlfriend.
Others were working visits, including seeing the work of Rhino Conservation Botswana, a charity of which he became patron in January.
Harry’s own charity, Sentebale, which works to improve the lives of young people in Southern Africa, has an office in the capital Gaborone.
SPLENDID ISOLATION
It is likely that Harry and Meghan, after arriving at Maun International Airport from Johannesburg, flew by light plane to a landing strip before making the last leg of the journey to their hideaway in a 4x4.
Meno A Kwena is remote, a good 10km from the next safari camp, making it unlikely for the couple to be spotted by camera-wielding tourists.
On arrival, they would have been greeted by breathtaking views across the Boteti, meandering hundreds of feet below the camp’s dining area, where at night guests gather on canvas seats around a fire for steaks and game stew cooked on open grills.
After dinner, guests retreat to a spacious lounge under a canvas awning, its wooden walls decorated with black-and-white photographs, including one of Harry’s grandparents on a state visit to Botswana.
Alongside are family portraits of the first leader of the newly independent country, Sir Seretse Khama, and his English wife Ruth Williams.
The couple’s son, Ian Khama, born in Surrey in 1953, is the country’s president.
LONG WALKS IN THE BUSH
After a night’s sleep in a handsomely furnished tent, equipped with solarpowered hot showers and an open terrace offering views of the night sky, guests can choose a day’s safari across the Makgadikgadi Pans, a boat trip along the Boteti, or even a trek through the scrubland.
Local San people offer weekly walks in which they describe their culture and relationship with the country’s habitat and wildlife.
During their interview, Meghan described how she and Harry had revelled in being able to “take the time to be able to go on long country walks and just talk”.
DISCREET AND RESPONSIBLE
Chicos, a host at Meno A Kwena, was enthusiastic on the subject of its charms.
“This is really a very beautiful place. The elephants and zebra come to the water in the evening to drink, right in front of your eyes.”
But he was far more circumspect when asked about Harry and Meghan.
“We have lots of guests from many countries,” he said. “English, German, South African. They love it.”
Owner Hennie Rawlinson would only say: “All information regarding our guests, past, present and future is highly confidential.”
That is the kind of discretion for which Meno A Kwena is renowned.
Rawlinson is a friend of Colin Bell, who has pioneered responsible safari tourism in the region, where land-lease fees paid by camps such as Meno A Kwena go directly to local communities.
It is part of a vision that aims to reduce the environmental impact of visitors, while at the same time ensuring that tourism revenue goes into the pockets of those who need it.
That is an aim which Markle, an advocate of equal rights for women, and in particular better access to clean water for, all would surely endorse.
With their shared interests in sustainable development in countries such as
Botswana, it is little wonder that Prince Harry described how he felt “the stars were aligned” when he met Meghan.
In this case the stars were those above them, in the vast African skies over the Okavango Delta. — ©