Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Share Never-Before-Seen Photos with Elephants from 2017 Botswana Trip
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry celebrating World Elephant Day with another small glimpse of their 2017 trip to Botswana.
The royal couple traveled to the African country on the annual holiday two years ago to assist Dr. Mike Chase of Elephants Without Borders, getting up close to the majestic animals while aiding in the conversation effort. In a newly released photo shared on their joint @SussexRoyal Instagram page on Monday, Harry makes his way towards an elephant with supplies in hand.
Another shot shows Meghan’s hands (outfitted with some of her favorite accessories, like her gold hamsa ring) gently cradling an elephant’s trunk.
The caption also gave photo credit to the “DOS,” indicating that either the Duke or Duchess of Sussex was behind the amazing snaps. Other photos of the animals in the wild posted by the couple were taken by Elephants Without Borders.
Meghan, 38, and Harry, 34, also announced that after following Elephants Without Broders on Instagram while highlighting environmental issues in July and collaborating with Ellen DeGeneres‘ wildlife fund, 25 elephants have been fitted with satellite navigation collars by the organization.
“These collars allow the team at EWB to track the elephants, as well as to learn their essential migratory patterns to keep their corridors safe and open so future generations of elephants can roam freely,” the couple wrote. “In honour of this amazing support, EWB have named their most recently collared Elephant…ELLEN! We can’t wait to see where she will go! 🐘”
A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on Aug 12, 2019 at 6:00am PDT
In April, the couple’s new social media page paid tribute to their conservation work in honor of Harry attending the premiere of the Netflix documentary Our Planet with father Prince Charles and brother Prince William. Fans scrolling through the photos were thrilled to see a never-before-seen snap of Meghan and Harry placing a tracking collar on an elephant during the Botswana trip. They are hard at work in the photo, both wearing baseball caps and casual clothing.
The caption explains they were equipping a bull elephant with a satellite collar, explaining that tracking the animal will allow conservationists to project him and other elephants from poachers.
The elephant was sedated for 10 minutes while the device was put on, then he was back up to join his herd – as seen in the following video of the animal waking up and getting onto his feet.
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Africa holds a special place in Harry’s heart, and he has focused much of his conservation work there. He is president of African Parks and patron of the Rhino Conservation Botswana. It has long been a go-to place for Harry, who has visited the continent since his teens and refers to it as “his second home.” Now it holds a special place in Meghan’s heart too — it was where Harry romanced his future wife just weeks after meeting her and where they reportedly fell in love.
After the couple’s engagement in November 2017, Harry recalled the romantic few days they spent together in the African wilderness shortly after they met in 2016.
“I managed to persuade her to come and join me in Botswana. We camped out with each other under the stars. She came and joined me for five days out there, which was absolutely fantastic,” he said. “So then we were really by ourselves, which was crucial to me to make sure that we had a chance to know each other.”
A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on Jun 27, 2019 at 8:14am PDT
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex confirmed in June that they will carry out a royal tour in Africa this fall. In a post on their Instagram page, they also revealed that son Archie, born on May 6, will be coming along: “This will be their first official tour as a family!”
They will visit the country of South Africa, with Prince Harry also making stops in Malawi and Angola. He’ll also do a “short working visit in Botswana on route to the other countries,” according to the Instagram post.
