The Tribune

By DANA SMITH dsmith@tribunemedia.net YOUTH, Sports and Culture Minister Charles Maynard has defended the "formal" activities surrounding Prince Harry's visit, revealing they were "insisted" upon by Buckingham Palace. Amid comments that the Prince's Bahama trip activities were too "traditional" and "conservative" in comparison to his other Caribbean trips, the Minister said the activities were "befitting of a visit from the royal family." The government got notification from the Palace more than a year ago that a member of the royal family would travel to The Bahamas to celebrate the Queen's jubilee, he said, and it was about a year ago they started planning various events they thought "might be appropriate". "In January of this year, a team from Buckingham Palace came and they met with us and looked at all of the proposals that we had and they decided on the final events that actually took place. It was their decision - they wanted the Bahamas' trip to be a more formal one," Mr Maynard said. "As you know, he would of visited two other Caribbean nations and some of what they did was very informal, but they insisted on a more formal visit here in The Bahamas. "I'm very proud of the team of persons who organised and executed the events because we did have events with pomp and pageantry and so forth befitting of a visit from the royal family." Mr Maynard said he did not know why the Palace "insisted" on a more formal visit, but Prince Harry seemed to agree. "I mentioned to him while we were waiting for the Governor General on Sunday at the exhibition. I said 'you know a lot of pressure is being put on The Bahamas based on how much fun you had in Belize' and he said 'no that's ok, The Bahamas is meant to be a more formal and sober visit,' and so he said 'I think you've done well in terms of living up to that.' "It was a direct decision by Buckingham Palace for The Bahamas to be that type of visit for Prince Harry," Mr Maynard said. However, the Prince reportedly mentioned to the Minister that meeting with young Bahamians was more enjoyable than the formalities. "I think that he really connected with our young people while he was here," Mr Maynard said. "We had occasions when he was able to interact directly with young people and I think in speaking with him, he enjoyed those more than some of the formal things." Prince Harry had the chance to engage in activities with young Bahamians in Eleuthera and Nassau, including a luncheon with "outstanding youth leaders and youth organisations," Mr Maynard said. "So I think that at the end of the day, he would have enjoyed the trip he had to The Bahamas just as much as anywhere else that he visited during this particular round." The Minister also pointed out that Prince Harry got a chance to visit "one of our top night spots" during his short stay, as well.