Today, His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Edward, arrived at St Helena Airport to begin his four-day visit to the island between 23rd to 26th January 2024. The Duke is the first Member of The Royal Family to arrive at St Helena by air since the airport opened in 2017. This is the first time The Duke is visiting St Helena, and the first visit by a Member of the Royal Family since The Princess Royal visited in 2002.
St Helena has been visited by several Members of the Royal Family before. Previous visits have included The Duke’s mother Queen Elizabeth II and Grandfather King George VI in 1947, and his father Prince Phillip in 1957, ten years after his wife Her Majesty The Queen visited as a Princess.
During his visit to St Helena, The Duke of Edinburgh will undertake a series of engagements across the island, celebrating the culture, people, and biodiversity of St Helena, as well as meeting with members of the local community.
Following his arrival, His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh visited 192-year-old Jonathan the tortoise. Jonathan, a Seychelles tortoise, is reported to be the oldest living land animal in the world, with an estimated birthdate in the early 1830s. Jonathan has lived on the St Helena since the 1880s and has met a number of members of the Royal Family during his 142 years there. In 1947 Jonathan also met The Duke’s grandfather King George VI, and his mother Queen Elizabeth II (then known as Princess Elizabeth), Princess Margaret, and The Queen Mother (the then Queen Elizabeth).
As well as a public event on the Grand Parade of the island’s historic Georgian capital Jamestown later this week, The Duke will also be engaging with a cross-section of the St Helenian community through a number of other events.
For more information about St Helena, visit www.sthelenatourism.com
