Crown Princess Mary of Denmark visits Vanuatu ahead of her return to native Australia
Crown Princess Mary of Denmark has visited the Etas community in Vanuatu, a country made up of a collection of islands in the South Pacific.
The mother of four, 51, made the visit as part of her journey that spans the island nation of Fiji and her home country of Australia.
Mary, who is married to Crown Prince Frederik, wore a long-sleeved navy blue maxi dress with a lighter blue floral print when she met members of the Etas community.
She wore her thick brunette locks down and hung over her shoulders in loose curls and opted for simple pearl earrings.
Crown Princess Mary was shown around the community throughout the day, stopping for a refreshing drink of coconut water along the way.
Crown Princess Mary of Denmark visited the Etas community on the South Pacific island of Vanuatu, where she heard about plans to improve women’s lives
During a visit to the community, the Princess learned about an EU-backed program on the island that aims to support women in the most vulnerable areas of the country, implemented by the ADRA organization.
The Etas community is a small settlement on the main island of Vanuatu called Efate. They live just outside Port Vila.
Since most community members are not recognized as part of the official workforce, much of their income comes from their role as garbage pickers.
About 8.5 km from Port Vila is the Bouffa Landfill, which contains tons of single-use plastic waste.
The Danish royal family, 51, sipped some fresh coconut water to cool down during her visit to the community
The Australian-born royal family visited the Etas community on the island of Efate in the country of Vanuatu
Crown Princess Mary met people from the aid organization ADRA to hear about the work they do to support women
The Etas community has long held the unofficial role of sorting the waste dumped in the landfill to recover materials such as plastic bottles, glass and scrap metal that can be recycled.
Some people collect spare parts from machines or electronic devices, which they then reuse for community use.
The Accelerator Lab Pacific team of the United Nations Development Program has spent time on the island of Efate conducting research on the Etas community.
Crown Princess Mary’s visit to Vanuatu will also shed light on how the island nation is protecting itself from the damaging effects of climate change.
Vanuatu was devastated after experiencing two cyclones over a two-day period in early March and was also hit by two earthquakes.
When Crown Princess Mary met members of the Etas community, she was presented with a beautiful bouquet of flowers
The Etas community made the Danish royal family feel welcome by offering her a necklace as well
The Crown Princess wore a navy blue maxi dress with a lighter blue floral print and her dark brown locks hung over her shoulders
The Danish royal family smiled as members of the community showed her where they live, on one of the largest islands in Vanuatu
The Crown Princess will learn more about the initiatives to help women before she heads to Fiji for the next leg of her royal tour
Landing in the country yesterday, the glamorous royal family, accompanied by Denmark’s Minister of Development, Cooperation and Global Climate Policy, Dan Jorgensen, wore a long-sleeved white blouse, patterned flowing maxi skirt, sapphire oversized earrings and sandals.
She also wore two gold chains, one with the initial F on it and another reminiscent of a coin, and wore her hair down with natural make-up.
The princess made her way around the island and spoke to several people, including Hon. Ralph Regenvanu Climate Change Minister of Vanuatu, who explained the effect of sea level rise on those living in coastal communities.
After her time in Vanuatu, Mary will continue with her planned visit to Fiji, where she will focus on how the destruction and evacuations caused by climate change are resulting in an increased risk of sexual and gender-based violence, and how the health care system is working to protect women and protect girls in vulnerable situations.
Princess Mary ends her journey in Sydney, Australia – her homeland.
This event will be truly special as it will be the first time in a decade that Princess Mary has traveled to Australia in an official capacity.
The Hobart-born royal family, 51, will return to their home country on April 28 to meet with Danish representatives involved in Australia’s “green transition”, while also visiting several Danish-led sustainability projects.