Wild time for safari Kate in rainforest
IT was hardly the time for high fashion as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrived yesterday on the remote island of Bella Bella with its cherished rainforest… in driving rain.
The royal couple had a rocky one-hour flight with their twin propeller small aircraft experiencing turbulence as it headed for a tiny airstrip.
Kate traded haute couture for a dressed down look in a Holland and Holland jacket, Zara jeans and earrings by Canadian designer Pippa Small.
Battling the elements, the royal couple were greeted by descendants of the ancient First Nations people, owners of the Bella Bella land, and were duly heralded as hereditary chiefs.
William was acclaimed by the indigenous Heiltsuk people as Hemas – a hereditary chief – and Kate as Umaks, a woman of high rank or standing.
The couple were shown one of the most precious items owned by the First Nations community, a royal staff with a silver crown head given to the present chief’s great grandfather by Queen Victoria. It was awarded to the Heiltsuk people as a sign of honour with a message saying: “This is a mark of respect. If your people need anything then you must ask my government.”
Concern
There was concern overnight that the couple’s trip to the remote island community would be called off because of the weather.
But aides adapted their programme, cancelling a tour of the beautiful region by float plane and arranging for a boat to take them from the airstrip to the jetty where they were welcomed by the indigenous people.
A spokesman for the couple said: “It’s still a beautiful place in the rain and everyone is prepared to get wet.”
Stretching more than 250 miles along the central and north coast of British Columbia, the island’s Great Bear Rainforest is Earth’s largest intact temperate rainforest.
It is the only place in the world where you can see the Kermode or spirit bear, noted for its white fur, as well as whales, sea otters, dolphins and sea lions. The bear is considered sacred by the island’s T’simshian people.
The Great Bear Rainforest is Canada’s commitment to the Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy (QQC), a network of forest conservation initiatives involving all 53 countries of the Commonwealth.