High profile British Royals visit Sri Lanka
Another Royal visit took place in Sri Lanka recently with the arrival of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent. They were here on a private visit which paved the way for them to visit a few tourist attractions in Sri Lanka.
Prince Michael of Kent is a grandson of King George V and Queen Mary and a cousin of Queen Elizabeth II. Prince Michael represents the Queen at certain functions in Commonwealth realms.
His father was the Duke of Kent, the fourth-eldest son of George V and Queen Mary. His mother was the Duchess of Kent (née Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark), a daughter of Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark and Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia.
Prince Michael was seventh in the line of succession to his uncle King George VI at the time of his birth. Prince Michael was made Honorary Commodore of the Royal Naval Reserve in 1994, and in 2002 he was made Honorary Air Commodore of RAF Benson. In 2009, he was appointed Honorary Regimental Colonel of the Honourable Artillery Company.
Prince Michael was accompanied by Princess Michael during the tour in Sri Lanka. Among the places they visited in Sri Lanka was Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage. Pinnawala officials facilitated the visit with a planting of a tree.
Eco and wildlife tourism expert Srilal Miththapala guided the VIPS around on the invitation of the tourism authorities. Such high profile visits are welcome at a time we are trying to reach out to high end tourists, says the Acting Director General of Sri Lanka Tourism Vipula Wanigasekera.