The Duke and Duchess of Sussex travelled to the African country in 2017
The new shots show the royal couple fixing a satellite collar to a bull elephant
Harry took Meghan to favourite luxury camp Meno a Kwena for her 36th birthday
He is rumoured to have proposed in Botswana as they marked first year together
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have given the public a unique glimpse into their 2017 trip to Botswana, sharing stunning never-before-seen photos on their new Instagram account.
The African country holds a special place in the couple’s hearts as Harry took Meghan to his favourite luxury camp Meno a Kwena to celebrate Meghan’s 36th birthday and mark their first year together.
One of the moving shots shows the royal couple tending to a large bull elephant in the bush, equipping him with a satellite collar.
Their Royal Highnesses were assisting Dr. Mike Chase of Elephants Without Borders, who is working to protect elephant populations by tracking their movements.
The cascade of images on the Instagram shows Harry embracing a ranger at the park, addressing local school children and a video clip of the sedated elephant regaining consciousness and returning to his herd.
There was also a shot of Harry at the Our Planet premiere at the Natural History Museum last night, which he attended with his brother The Duke of Cambridge and father Prince Charles to lend their joint support for the protection of the environment.
The caption on the Instagram post read: ‘As president of African Parks Network, the Duke of Sussex continues to advocate for the communities and wildlife that coexist in some of the most vulnerable environments around the world.
‘Be it human wildlife conflict or natural disasters, these communities (park rangers, school children, families) are on the frontline of conservation and we must do more to help them as we also work to safeguard the animals and landscapes that are in critical danger.’
It explained how the elephant pictured was sedated for just 10 minutes before he was back on his feet.
It went on: ‘Tracking his movements has allowed conservationists to better protect him and other elephants and ensure heightened protection for these beautiful creatures moving forward.’
Approximately 100 elephants are poached every day for their ivory tusks.
Using satellite technology allows conservationists to track their critical migratory patterns and to protect them and the local communities from human wildlife conflict.
Harry was rumoured to have proposed in Botswana, and Meghan’s engagement ring includes a center diamond from Botswana, which is cushioned by two smaller diamonds from Princess Diana’s collection.
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.
They were photographed as they arrived at Maun airport in Botswana, smiling excitedly as they crossed the tarmac – Harry’s arm affectionately around his girlfriend’s shoulder.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex launched their own Instagram account on Tuesday, after previously sharing the kensingtonroyal handle with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
The profile, described by an expert as ‘highly stylised’, racked up a staggering 150,000 followers in the 30 minutes after it was unveiled on Tuesday afternoon, and by Wednesday morning had accumulated a record-breaking 2.2 million followers.
The Guinness World Records confirmed they had broken the record by reaching the 1 million milestone in just 5 hours and 45 minutes, taking the title from K-Pop star Kang Daniel, who achieved 1 million followers in 11 hours 36 minutes in January.
Before this, the record holder was Pope Francis, who reached one million in 12 hours after debuting his verified Vatican media channel franciscus in 2016.
Among the followers are celebrities David Beckham and Gwyneth Paltrow, as well as Princess Eugenie who commented ‘welcome cousins’.
Kensington Palace’s account, which has now been assigned to Prince William and Kate, currently stands at 7.1million followers.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s first post – which announced they were joining the social network along with a gallery of their highlights – received 755,000 likes by Wednesday morning.
And followers were keen to share their support for Harry, 34, and Meghan, 37, who are expecting their first child this month and are expected to share the first picture of their little one online.
Harry and Meghan take control of their image with their own Instagram account
An expert has claimed that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have unveiled their own Instagram account in an effort to take control of their image.
Nick Ede, Popular Culture Expert and CEO of East of Eden, told The Sun: ‘Harry and Megan have shown themselves to be stand out Royals who are embracing their work commitments in a progressive and passionate way.
‘Like Kate when she took the official images of her children, I think we will see Harry and Meghan controlling their image and the communication of their life and relationship using Instagram as a tool to do this.
‘Meghan had her own popular website, The Tig, which was highly stylised so I suspect she will have a lot of input in the style and what they want to say,’
‘It also shows a willingness to be out there in the public eye because Instagram is not for shrinking violets’.
The profile picture is an image bearing a white version of couple’s royal cypher – the entwined initials H and M below a coronet – on a navy background.
Their first post – a picture gallery- was kicked off with the same blue background featuring their monogram, and a welcome message written in a mix of italics and upper case fonts.
The carefully chosen pictures featured in the gallery, highlighted the work they are most passionate about, and included their recent visit to a girl’s school in Morocco, Harry’s work with African conservation charities and Meghan’s cooking project with the Grenfell community.
Source: DAILYMAIL MAILONLINE
