Harry and Meghan’s romantic getaway
Stunning views from a romantic deck ... we reveal how the lovebirds spent their first night in Africa
IT WAS Prince Harry’s birthday surprise for his girlfriend Meghan Markle – a romantic trip to a secret hideaway with a stunning view of the African bush, overlooking the sparkling Boteti river.
On Meghan’s first-ever wildlife safari, the couple watched the sun set behind a spectacular vista of acacia thorn trees and green-backed herons fishing in the river.
The pair were photographed last month as they arrived at Maun airport in Botswana, smiling excitedly as they crossed the tarmac, Harry’s arm affectionately around his girlfriend’s shoulder.
After that the lovebirds disappeared from the public gaze, but The Mail on Sunday can reveal they headed straight for the exclusive Meno a Kwena tented bush camp, a two-hour drive east of the airport.
Harry, 32, had chosen his beloved Botswana for this special visit, not only to celebrate Meghan’s 36th birthday but also to mark their first year together. The fact that he chose a country which holds such a special place in his heart will fuel speculation that he may have decided to propose to Meghan on the trip.
After confirming the couple had stayed there, we booked in to the £650-a-night camp, to see what it was like.
There are few more romantic destinations in the world. We were told that one of the first sights that greeted Harry & Meghan was a herd of dozens of zebra appearing in front of their luxury tent, cooling themselves in the water.
Harry first visited the country when he was just 13, two months after his mother Diana died, and has made many return visits. In January he agreed to become patron of Rhino Conservation Botswana. At the time he said: ‘I’ve been lucky enough to visit Botswana for more than 20 years and I’m fortunate to be able to call it my second home.’
Bush camps such as Meno a Kwena around the Maun area are popular with ‘glamping’ tourists en route to the Okovango Delta region, rich in wildlife. Driving Meghan from the airport with his bodyguard on the eve of her August 4 birthday, Harry kept their destination a mystery to the end, promising only that it would be ‘unforgettable’.
Meghan would have had her first surprise at a roadblock where all travellers must get out of their vehicles and walk across a disinfectant mat to protect the area from foot-and-mouth disease.
At Meno a Kwena, where the Prince is known so well that all the African staff call him by his first name, the pair had a light lunch on arrival, then headed to their tent.
From their luxury accommodation they were able to watch the wildlife at close quarters. They called for room-service dinner and drinks to enjoy under the stars, away from the other guests at the camp, and also breakfasted in their quarters, soon after sunrise.
‘They greeted the staff and enjoyed lunch with a glass of wine,’ one observer told us. ‘Later they went up the sandy path away from the main camp, hand-in-hand, to their prime spot overlooking the river.’
Harry was widely expected to propose during their three-week holiday in Africa, but it is not yet known if that happened, or if he has sought consent from the Queen.
Harry brought his first love, Chelsy Davy, to the same camp in 2007 when they slept under the stars and took game drives through the Central Kalahari reserve.
On this latest trip, Harry did not take advantage of the sunset river cruises, game drives, or sessions on the camp’s floating hide, on offer to guests in the nine tents.
The staff had arranged for Harry and Meghan to stay in safari tent 5, with its king-size bed, open-air shower and hand-carved furniture. Teak chests and explorers’ trunks dotted the bedroom, with kilim rugs on the floor. But its biggest attraction is the spectacular veranda offering a breathtaking view of a broad bend in the Boteti river where elephant, zebra and wild buck come to drink each evening.
The river had been dry for more than 20 years, but came teeming back to life in 2008 when millions of gallons of water came gushing through from the Okovango Delta due to a shift in tectonic plates.
Harry has witnessed the extraordinary change for himself. On his earlier visits to Meno a Kwena – the name means ‘teeth of the ‘crocodile – he was told how water pumps had been installed to help keep wildlife alive. But now the river is a mighty sweep of running water again as
A glass of wine, then they disappeared to their tent
. . or, rather, Chelsy, as Prince Harry took his first love Chelsy Davy to the same exclusive getaway in the the Botswanan bush in 2007
Harry and Meghan would have witnessed as they ate supper on the veranda, with its dining table, buckskin rugs and day-bed offering a comfortable vantage point
At night, lions roared close by, and on Meghan’s birthday she woke at dawn to a noisy orchestra of pied kingfishers and barred owls and the sight of the spectacular African fish eagle swooping on its prey. ‘It’s the mating season for all our birds,’ explained a source. ‘That makes it very noisy to wake up to – we hope they didn’t mind too much.’
The couple stayed only one night at Meno a Kwena, leaving midmorning for the Okavango Delta.
HER smile said it all. It was the Queen’s 65th appearance at the Braemar Gathering on Royal Deeside yesterday – and the sun shone on the crowds all day as if to mark the occasion.
More than 17,000 people basked in the sunshine at the Princess Royal and Duke of Fife Memorial Park, the largest crowd in recent years.
Her Majesty was accompanied by Prince Philip, Prince Charles and Princess Anne, arriving at the gathering at 3pm in a burgundy Daimler to be greeted by the Lord Lieutenant of Aberdeenshire, James Ingleby.
The Royal Family were welcomed into the arena by 11 pipe bands, led by drum major Roland Stuart – the massed pipes and drums also led the Royals out of the park.
Wearing a light-coloured coat and pastel pink hat with black matching shoes, gloves and a handbag, the monarch took her seat in the Patron’s Pavilion to rapturous applause.
The Queen and the Princess Royal, wearing an elegant red coat and black hat, were then presented with white posies from Highland dancers Amy Laurence, 11, and Morgan Strachan, 12, from Braemar.
Her Majesty applauded enthusiastically at the famous Braemar caber-tossing event, which was won by Lucas Vicar from East Kilbride.
He was one of the few competitors who managed to put over the new caber – which is over 20ft long and 137lb.
But the Queen was disappointed when her Balmoral estate team lost the tug-of-war to neighbouring Invercauld estate.
Yet nothing could dampen her spirits as she smiled and applauded with Prince Philip throughout her whole visit – and appeared particularly amused by a girl who won the sack race by running inside it.
ZARA Tindall made a splash at the Burghley Horse Trials yesterday – but for all the wrong reasons.
The 36-year-old Royal was thrown from the saddle into the water when her horse High Kingdom stumbled after barely clearing a fence. The mother-ofone was left soaked but appeared otherwise unhurt as she was met by medical staff.
Despite a glittering career as an event-rider, Olympic medallist Zara has had a series of falls over the years. She most recently suffered a mishap in April at the Burnham Market International Horse Trials when she tumbled from her horse Fernhill FaceTime.