Banjul, Gambia: Britain’s Prince Charles and his wife Camilla landed Wednesday in The Gambia for the first leg of a week-long African tour aimed at strengthening ties with Commonwealth nations.
The Prince of Wales, heir to the throne, took over as head of the 53-member Commonwealth of Nations in April, succeeding his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
He and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, were received Wednesday by Gambian President Adama Barrow and his wife Fatou Bah-Barrow.
The country, which is almost completely surrounded by Senegal along the West African coast, was readmitted to the Commonwealth in February, after abruptly leaving the organisation in 2013.
On Thursday, Prince Charles is to visit the Medical Research Council, a faculty of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, during what is his first visit to the country.
He and Camilla are then expected to visit Ghana before ending their trip in Nigeria on November 6-8, a statement said.
As Britain prepares to leave the European Union in 2019, the prince aims to “celebrate the UK’s dynamic, forward-looking partnerships” with Commonwealth nations, it said, adding that Charles has already visited 44 of them.
