Duchess Sophie Brings Zambia Visit to Victoria Falls
Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, spent Thursday at Victoria Falls on the fourth day of a six-day official visit to Zambia.
The duchess traveled on Thursday, Sept. 17, to Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park, home to the falls, according to Town & Country. The visit is scheduled from Sept. 14 to Sept. 19 and is intended to celebrate the relationship between Zambia and the United Kingdom, Buckingham Palace said on its royal website Royal.uk.
Victoria Falls sits on the Zambezi River on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. Its local name, Mosi-oa-Tunya, means “the smoke that thunders” in the Lozi language. The site has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1989, jointly managed by the two countries.
At the park, the duchess stopped at the Victoria Falls Cenotaph, a stone war memorial honoring those who died in World War I. She laid a bouquet of flowers there. Tucked into the flowers was a card she signed herself. It read, “Lest we forget.”
Earlier that same day, she visited Maramba Primary School in Livingstone. There she met pupils and coordinators from Sport in Action, a Zambian nonprofit founded in 1998 and described as the country’s first sports-focused nongovernmental organization.
What makes this stop stand out is the mix. Remembrance alongside recess. A memorial visit in the morning, then a schoolyard in the afternoon.
The broader program has focused on gender equality, climate and nature, and partnerships on education and research. Stops have included work on eye care and women’s enterprise. The itinerary has covered Lusaka, the Lower Zambezi area and Livingstone, according to Hola.
The duchess opened the trip in Lusaka in a bright green dress with a purple sash. She is expected to close the visit Friday with a meeting with Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema.
