Prince Harry asked to visit China next year
Staff reporter 2012-09-11 09:53 (GMT+8)
The Foreign Office will no doubt brief the prince that people in China are conservative concerning nudity. (File photo)
The UK's Foreign Office has asked Prince Harry to visit China next year to provide a diplomatic boost to relations between the two countries, reports Duowei News, an outlet run by overseas Chinese.
The planned visit for the 27-year-old prince, who is third in line to the throne, is believed to be partly aimed at relieving tensions in the UK-China relationship following prime minister David Cameron's meeting with Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama in May, which sparked a furious reaction in Beijing.
The visit could also make amends for Prince Harry's image after his recent nude photo scandal, where he was photographed playing strip billiards with friends in a Las Vegas hotel last month.
If the trip goes ahead, it will be the most high-profile British royal family visit to China since the Queen's monumental visit to China in 1986. Reports say any visit would take place following the prince's four-month deployment to Afghanistan, where he is co-piloting an Apache helicopter gunship.
"Senior members of the royal family see their role as supporting British interests overseas," an aide told the UK's Sunday Telegraph.
Harry's father, Prince Charles, who has never visited China but was present when Hong Kong was handed back to the Chinese government in 1997, is said to be keen to improve relations with the country. He started a charity three years ago in Beijing to promote architecture, the arts and the environment.
Earlier in the year, Harry made a 10-day trip to the Caribbean and Brazil as part of the Diamond Jubilee tour to mark the Queen's 60-year reign and to champion British business interests. Jeremy Hunt, the UK's then-culture secretary, called Prince Harry an "electrifying" international ambassador with the "impact of 1,000 politicians."
The Foreign Office is also believed to have held discussions regarding potential visits for Harry to Russia and India, which together with China and Brazil are regarded as key nations for furthering British interests.
