The Duchess of Edinburgh brought warmth and humour to the start of her five-day tour of Zambia, where a meeting with the country's President stretched well beyond its allotted time and included an unexpected encounter with zebras.
HELLO!, the only publication accompanying Sophie on the visit, witnessed the duchess strengthening British ties with the southern African Commonwealth country while championing causes close to her heart.
Even an early luggage mishap failed to dampen the welcome. Sophie carried out her first engagement in what she called her "aeroplane clothes" after the royal baggage was delayed, while dancers at the British High Commission performed with undiminished enthusiasm.
© PA Images via Getty ImagesHer programme brought together female business leaders, survivors of gender-based violence and eye-care specialists, with Sophie making an impassioned appeal to tackle avoidable sight loss. Our reporter on the ground, Jack Malvern, sends the following report.
Duchess Sophie's unexpected encounter at Zambia's presidential residence
The Duchess of Edinburgh gazes at the zebras in the President of Zambia's back garden in admiration. "They're good lawnmowers," she says as the herd of half a dozen munch on the grass and drink from the fountain.
"Yes," he agrees. "And good fertilizers." The photographers capturing this moment of UK-Zambian entente are careful not to stand in the freshly deposited zebra manure.
Sophie is at Hakainde Hichilema's private residence in the east of the capital city of Lusaka as part of a royal visit not only to build rapport but highlight the work of causes close to her heart, among them tackling preventable sight loss.
© PA Images via Getty ImagesThe President, who is buoyant after being re-elected for a second term last month, shows his fondness for the royal family in his decor. As he and the First Lady, Mutinta Hichilema, usher the Duchess into their mansion, their first stop is a photograph the size of a film poster depicting him alongside King Charles at Dumfries House. It was taken during a visit to the King's Foundation's headquarters in October last year, when the presidential couple gave the King a swathe of traditional chitenge fabric.
© PA Images via Getty ImagesDuchess Sophie's personal gifts for Zambia's President
Sophie returns the favour today by presenting some of the fabric after it has been fashioned into a double-sided scarf backed with cashmere woven on the isle of Elgin. Her gifts to the couple also include three jars of honey from beehives at Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and her own hives at Bagshot Park.
© PA Images via Getty Images"So, you have three different types of honey from three different types of bee," she tells him.
"Did you raise the bees?" asks the President, who made his fortune from cattle ranching and celebrates the fact with a painting of cows on his verandah. Four busts of longhorn cattle, water spurting from their heads, surround the fountain at the end of his driveway. "Personally!" Sophie replies.
The meeting at the residence, which also features impala and puku antelopes roaming the grounds, had been expected to last ten minutes but runs for over an hour as the two chat about Zambia's mines, education and the President's fondness for Britain after studying at the University of Birmingham.
Duchess Sophie tries gem polishing in Lusaka
It is a highlight from a lively day that began with a meeting of female business leaders before a visit to the Jewel of Africa workshop for a crash course in gem polishing. The workshop, which has received British investment, has given women thorough training to turn mined emeralds into finished gems.
Sophie is given overalls and a relatively inexpensive piece of quartz to polish. Some self-deprecating remarks later, she produces a stone she is allowed to keep, although it remains unclear whether this is a reward for a job well done or a hint that the stone isn't ready for market.
The Duchess also listens to survivors of gender-based violence, who have addressed their experiences through art exhibited at the Imvelo Gallery, and celebrates joint British and Zambian educational projects.
It comes after Sophie conducts her first engagement of the tour in her "aeroplane clothes" because the royal baggage is delayed, but the dancers at the British High Commission perform with undiminished enthusiasm.
© PA Images via Getty ImagesDuchess Sophie's powerful appeal for eye care
Perhaps her most impassioned speech is at an event hosted by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness and the eye-care charity Orbis. Sophie describes sight loss not merely an avoidable disability, but a mortal risk.
“If a child can't see, they drop out of school," the Duchess tells an audience of doctors and charity workers. "If they can't see, their life chances are drastically reduced. If somebody can't see in the home, they can't sustain themselves, their families.
"I used to say that actually eye health was life-threatening. I still believe it is. I've met people who live on the streets because they cannot live with their families anymore because they feel that they're a burden. And so they leave and take themselves away. So I place it at a high priority; eye care for all.”
