**Update 24/03/16: After completing his five-day tour of Nepal yesterday, Prince Harry has revealed he was so touched by the people and the beauty of the country that he will be extending his visit by an extra six days, to help with an earthquake relief project.
“The people I have met and the beauty of this country make it very hard to leave,” he said.
“Thankfully however, I’m not leaving just yet.”
For this next phase of his visit, the prince will focus on helping with reconstruction efforts at a secondary school that was badly damaged by the 2015 earthquake. Harry will be working with Team Rubicon UK, a disaster response charity, as well as volunteers, to help the school get back up and running.
“I’m so grateful to have this opportunity at the end of my official tour to do my small bit to help,” he said.
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On day three of his visit to Nepal, Prince Harry travelled to the remote village of Leorani, where he was given a pheta (white headdress) to mark his status as honorary head of the village during a special cultural show.
Villagers performed traditional Nepali dances during the show, while the royal sat back and applauded the dancers enthusiastically. Harry also proved he was more than game to join in when a sudden bout of rain sent the dancers scrambling for shelter, joining hands with two little girls from the village and giving them a twirl!
The village is located in Western Nepal, an area where many Gurkhas (Nepalese soldiers) are recruited from. After the cultural show, the prince – who served with a battalion of Royal Gurkha Rifles during his tour of Afghanistan in 2007-2008 – enjoyed a dinner with 86-year-old Gurkha widow Mangali Gurugn and her family and spent the night at her home.
“I’m very happy. I cried as when I die I can say I’ve talked to the King of a foreign land,” Mrs Gurugn told The Daily Mail.
“We call all members of the royal family King and I’m very happy. When I met him I could do nothing but put a garland of flowers on him and I blessed him.”
Earlier during his tour of Nepal, the royal had visited Bardia National Park, part of the largest tiger conservation area in Asia. There, he learnt about Nepal’s conservation and animal welfare efforts and even imitated a tiger to see how the cameras set up around the park tracked the animals’ movements at night.
For the next phase of his trip, the prince will watch the sun rising over the Himalayas before trekking to a local secondary school that was restored after the 2015 earthquakes thanks to help from the Gurkha Welfare Scheme. Harry will be given a tour of the newly restored school and meet pupils and staff, before travelling on to the British Gurkha Camp at Pokhara.
The prince will finish up his tour on March 23 in Kathmandu, where he is due to open the Nepal Girl Summit with President Bidya Devi Bhandari (the first female President of Nepal).
See photos from Prince Harry’s official tour of Nepal here
Harry meets Pemba Sherpa, a 5-year-old burns victim, at Kanti Children’s Hospital in Kathmandu.
Prince Harry bonds with four-year-old Biplov Puri at the hospital.
Harry speaks with delegates at the Nepal Girls Summit in Kathmandu.
In Pokhara, the prince lays a wreath for Gurkha killed while fighting for the British Army.
Prince Harry receives garlands and flowers during his visit to Gauda Secondary School, which is being reconstructed with the help of the Gurkha Welfare Scheme after it was damaged by the 2015 earthquake.
Prince Harry plays volleyball at Gauda School in Nepal
Prince Harry gets into the spirit of the holi festival of colours during his visit to the school.
Gotcha! A local gets cheeky with the prince during the festival of colours.
Harry begins his trek out of Leorani.
After staying the night at the remote village of Leorani, Prince Harry watched the sun rising over the majestic Himalayas.
Prince Harry is pictured with villagers from Leorani during his visit to Nepal
Harry watches dancers perform in traditional garb in Leorani.
Harry is pulled into a dance by two local girls.
The prince was given a pheta – white turban-like headdress – to mark his status as honorary head man of the village.
Harry shares a meal with 86-year-old Gurkha widow Mangali Gurugn and her family in the village of Leorani.
Harry on his trek to the Leorani village.
The royal is given a Topi – traditional Nepalese hat – during his visit to Danna homestay village.
Prince Harry visits families displaced by the 2015 earthquakes at a camp in Bhaktapur.
The prince imitates the movements of a tiger to see how the remote cameras at a conservation park work.
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