LONDON: Britain's Prince Harry landed in Belize on Friday on the first stop of a tour of the Caribbean and Central America to mark his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee, a palace official said.
Harry landed at Philip S.W. Goldson International Airport near Belize City at around 4:30 pm (2230 GMT), a spokeswoman for the prince's Clarence House residence told AFP.
Making his first solo tour, the third in line to the British throne will also visit the Bahamas and Jamaica on the seven-day trip before travelling to Brazil on March 9 on behalf of the British government.
"The Prince is hugely looking forward to representing the Queen and he will bring his own brand of enthusiasm and energy to every event," said Harry's private secretary Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton.
He added that the tour of the three countries, which all have the queen as head of state, reflected "Harry's wish to pay personal tribute to his grandmother the queen, but also to spend time wherever possible with young people in all three countries".
The prince's tour is one of several being made by British royals in 2012 as part of celebrations marking sixty years of Elizabeth II's reign.
Harry's brother Prince William 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.
In Belize, 27-year-old Harry will meet the governor-general and attend a street party, while in Jamaica he hopes to race against the world's fastest man Usain Bolt when he visits the sprinter's training track in Kingston.
He will also meet Jamaican Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, who wants the Caribbean nation to drop the queen as head of state.
Harry, who qualified as an army Apache attack helicopter pilot last month, is keen to return to combat in Afghanistan after he was hastily withdrawn from his first tour of duty in 2008 when a media blackout was broken.
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