CHERYL Graham and her daughters Lashane and Natassia Rennau were among hundreds who braved intermittent periods of hot sun and light drizzle so they could catch a glimpse of His Royal Highness Prince Henry of Wales (always known as Prince Harry) as he visited the Victoria Jubilee Hospital (VJH) and the Rise Life Management Services facility in downtown Kingston yesterday.

Graham said she did not know much about Prince Harry, but wanted her children to be a part of the historic moment.

“We live in Rum Lane so we just walked around here because I wanted them to come see him,” she told the Observer.

Ten-year-old Lashane and nine-year-old Natassia said they also did not know anything about the prince, however, the excitement on their faces could not be hidden as they jostled for space at the front of the crowd to catch a glimpse of the 27-year-old grandson of The Queen as he made his way from the Rise Life building to a waiting Range Rover.

“Excuse me sir,” Lashane said to a police superintendent who, in maintaining crowd control, threatened to block her once-in-a-lifetime chance to view the Prince.

“See him dere, ah him dat,” she said gleefully as she caught a brief glimpse of Prince Harry before he disappeared into the vehicle.

Although they never had a chance to greet him, or even to get a good look at him, Graham said she was happy to have been able to take her children to be a part of history in the making.

Prince Harry, the younger son of Prince Charles and the late Lady Diana, is in Jamaica representing his grandmother, The Queen, as part of international celebrations commemorating the 60th anniversary of her coronation.

Among the crowd which converged outside the gates of Rise Life were two Rastafarians bearing placards high above their heads in the hope Prince Harry would be able to read their messages. One placard read, “Pay Up. Repatriation and Reparation” while the words on another screamed “Jamaica, anti-gay for ever”.

The Prince’s visit to downtown Kingston saw him stopping for 20 minutes at the VJH for the unveiling of The Rings of Life statue by master sculptor Basil Watson in commemoration of the Diamond Jubilee.

Health problems forgotten for the moment, scores of patients and workers joined the throngs lining the walkway as they waited expectantly for the prince to go by.

“Wonder if him going to walk by here so me can tek a picture of him wid mi phone,” one woman said to her friend.

They had been waiting for an hour and were hopeful that they could make this a ‘Kodak’ moment.

Out in equal numbers were the smartly attired policemen and women of the Jamaica Constabulary Force.

While those on the outside awaited the arrival of the royal motorcade, officials on the inside scurried about ensuring all was in place for the 20-minute ceremony. A worker was kept busy sweeping the red carpet to ensure it remained spic and span for the arrival of royalty.

Immediately following the brief address, Prince Harry took a few minutes to greet some of the staff and patients at the hospital.

He spent a moment playing with day-old baby girl, Ayanna, as she slept in the arms of her mother, Dian Tomlin.

Then it was on to the Rise Life Management Services for a tour of the facility.

His visit to the non-governmental organisation ended on a high note as Prince Harry was treated to a taste of Jamaican culture — from speech, to drumming and dance, to pulsating reggae rhythms.

He even got a chance to participate in the proceedings as he was escorted unto the floor by a female dancer who demonstrated to him some popular Jamaican moves. A smiling Prince Harry indulged her for a moment with a little fancy footwork and a twirl or two before retaking his seat.

The visit ended with Rita Marley leading the singing of One Love, the iconic tune by her late husband, Bob Marley.