MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Prince Harry will visit Brazil in March and open Britain GREAT 2012 campaign

Harry, third in line to the British throne is expected on March 9

HRH Prince Harry will visit Brazil in March, Foreign Secretary William Hague confirmed on Thursday. Hague is currently on a two-day visit to Brazil and made the announcement during a press conference next to Sérgio Cabral, Governor of Rio de Janeiro.

“Brazil and the UK have much in common, with a shared history and close cultural bonds.  We are committed to strengthening our political, cultural and economic ties, and it is with this in mind that I am visiting Brazil: my first South American trip as Foreign Secretary.

“I am now pleased to announce that His Royal Highness Prince Harry will also soon be here, and will attend the GREAT campaign launch event in March. We hope that through this renewed and continued engagement with Brazil to show that we in the UK are open for business with the rest of the world and determined to build our relationships.”

The GREAT campaign is an invitation to discover and share what makes Britain GREAT in 2012, as it celebrates the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and hosts the greatest sporting event on earth, the Olympics.

The launch is being held in Rio, as the next host of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The event will be an opportunity for Great Brazilian and British investors, politicians, cultural leaders and celebrities to strengthen their existing connections and build new ones.

Harry, the third in line to the British throne, will arrive in Brazil on March 9 after touring Belize, the Bahamas and Jamaica as part of celebrations for his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee, officials said.

The 27-year-old's stop in Brazil is designed to “enhance the partnership between the United Kingdom and Brazil”, St James' Palace said, adding that the visit had been organised by the Foreign ministry.

Harry, who is training to become an army pilot, will arrive in Belize on March 2, kicking off a series of trips by British royals to celebrate the queen's 60th year on the throne.

William, 29, and his wife Catherine will travel to the Asia-Pacific region, while heir to the throne Prince Charles and his wife Camilla will visit countries including Australia and Canada.

The world tour adds to events in Britain marking the jubilee, including a massive pageant on the River Thames involving up to 1,000 boats, while the queen, 85, and her husband Prince Philip, 90, will travel widely in Britain.