AFP/Borneo
Prince William and his wife Catherine were winched high up into a Borneo jungle yesterday, as they put on a brave face after topless photos of her were published in a magazine.
Prince William and his wife Catherine, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge walk through the rainforest in Danum Valley
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited the pristine Danum Valley rainforest in Malaysia’s Sabah state, as part of the Queen’s diamond jubilee celebrations.
Ignoring the furore caused by the publication of the pictures by the French magazine Closer, the couple spent 20 minutes trekking through the rainforest wearing long-sleeved safari-style shirts, khaki pants and thick boots to keep out the leeches.
Despite the controversial photos, the humidity and fact she was dressed down, Kate looked unruffled and grinned throughout, clearly enjoying their stroll through the jungle. The pair were then winched up a 117-foot tree to a canopy walkway, where they crossed a wobbly Indiana Jones-style bridge to witness up close the jungle paradise in which a new species of frog was discovered two years ago.
The relatively untouched valley is home to endangered orangutans, clouded leopards, elephants, sun bears and sambar deer. The royal couple, however, were not lucky enough to spot any of the rainforest’s larger inhabitants.
They had earlier flown by helicopter to the jungle—recommended to them by Prince Charles—from Sabah’s capital Kota Kinabalu.
William is a Fellow of the British Royal Society, which runs a research station dedicated to studying the rainforest in the Danum Valley.
During the trip they visited the station, where they were briefed on ongoing conservation activities in the area.
“Their trip to Sabah is focused on rainforest conservation. Going to Danum will provide them with a unique insight into it and also the work of the Royal Society,” a British High Commission official said.
The Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak occupy the northern portion of the island of Borneo, which is shared with Indonesia and Brunei.
Borneo’s unique biodiversity is threatened by logging, palm oil cultivation and other development that leads to deforestation. The Sabah rhino is just one species close to extinction, say forestry officials.
The young royals are touring the globe throughout 2012 as part of celebrations marking the 60-year reign of William’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. William and Kate will this weekend move on to the Solomon Islands and later visit the island nation of Tuvalu.