Duchess Sophie’s Zambia Tour Takes a Wild Turn as She Comes Face to Face with a Hippo at Night

The Duchess of Edinburgh’s visit to Zambia took an unexpected turn when she woke in the middle of the night to find a hippopotamus just outside her tent.

Sophie was staying at the Conservation Lower Zambezi camp as part of her work learning more about efforts to combat poaching. By breakfast, she was recounting the remarkable encounter to fellow guests.

The hippo was not the only sign of wildlife nearby. When Sophie emerged from her tent, she discovered a fresh pile of elephant dung close to the entrance, although the elephant responsible had already disappeared into the bush or the Zambezi River.

The Duchess said the hippo had been so close that it could have been sitting on the chair outside her front door.

She had been lying in bed when she noticed the animal. Moving her bedsheet created a slight noise that caught the hippo’s attention, prompting Sophie to reconsider getting out of bed for a closer look.

They were already close enough.

The encounter came on the fourth day of Sophie’s five-day visit to Zambia, which took her from the Lower Zambezi to Livingstone and the spectacular Mosi-oa-Tunya, the local name for Victoria Falls. The name translates as “the smoke that thunders”.

Sophie’s official programme has included conservation, education, health and opportunities for young people, with the Royal Family confirming that her visit runs from 14 to 19 September.

From the Zambian bush to Livingstone

To reach Livingstone, Sophie travelled from an airstrip deep in the Zambian bush aboard a 12-seat Cessna turboprop aircraft, nicknamed “the Land Cruiser of the sky”.

She travelled with several aides and HELLO!’s reporter, who was the only writer accompanying her throughout the five-day tour.

After landing, Sophie received a traditional Zambian welcome at Harry Mwanga Nkumbula International Airport. A performer wearing elaborate shoulder decorations dropped to his hands and knees before the Duchess and moved like an agitated lion.

Her first engagement in Livingstone was a visit to a war memorial commemorating Zambian residents who died during the First World War while resisting the German East Africa Campaign and travelling to Europe to fight.

The Last Post played from a portable speaker before Sophie observed a two-minute silence. Reveille then marked the end of the ceremony.

The Duchess placed a posy at the base of the cenotaph, accompanied by a handwritten note reading, “Lest we forget.”

The ceremony had an unusual audience, too. Monkeys gathered nearby, grooming one another and chewing their feet as the remembrance service took place.

One tour guide even worried that the animals might steal Sophie’s flowers.

“They’re likely to,” he said. “They take anything they want.”

The posy remained in place after Sophie left.

Among the former servicemen attending was Peter Jones, a local historian who had served with the Royal Engineers in the Falklands before returning to serve with the Black Watch, now part of The Royal Regiment of Scotland. His military career also included a posting to Northern Ireland during the Troubles.

Following the memorial ceremony, Jones accompanied Sophie to the falls, where she met tourists who were surprised to discover that a member of the Royal Family was among them.

Sophie joins pupils for football and netball

The Duchess’s next engagement brought a very different atmosphere.

At Maramba Primary School in Livingstone, Sophie was welcomed with drumming and singing before meeting pupils involved in sporting and recreational activities delivered by the Zambian NGO Sport in Action.

The school grounds were filled with children playing football and netball. Sophie soon joined in herself, asking to take some shots at goal.

She had five attempts, although none found the target.

Sophie also joined younger children sitting in a circle, dancing and chanting as part of an activity designed to build enthusiasm and motivation before a match.

School headteacher Kelvin Malambo said the school had been “blessed” to welcome the Duchess and expressed hope that her visit would draw attention to some of the challenges facing pupils.

One immediate concern was a lack of running water. A shortage had left the school without water for the previous week, meaning some children had to be sent home halfway through the school day.

Malambo also explained that pupils could not wash after playing sport, leaving them to return home sweaty. He jokingly demonstrated how parents reacted when their children arrived in need of a wash.

Sport in Action’s work with young people

Founded in 1998, Sport in Action runs sporting projects for 17,000 people across Zambia and also helps operate the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme in the country.

Some of the Maramba pupils were wearing netball skirts carrying badges from the University of St Andrews. The university is one of five institutions that have donated new or second-hand sports equipment to Zambian schoolchildren.

Staffsone Phiri, a district coordinator for Sport in Action, said the children can sometimes be reluctant to leave when their sessions finish.

“The parents all have my number and they call me, saying: ‘Where is my child?’” he said.

Sophie ended her visit with a group photograph, surrounded by children in a lively and crowded huddle.

As the group gathered in the heat, the Duchess joked: “It’s only about 10,000 degrees here. Don’t worry.”

Her visit to Zambia continues to combine royal duties with causes that have been central to her work, including education, conservation, health and opportunities for young people.