The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall visited Brunei as part of a 10-day tour of the Far East. The prince met members of the Royal Gurkha Rifles, of whom he has been Colonel-in-chief since 1977. While there, they heard that Prince Harry had been popular with the Gurkhas when he served with them in Afghanistan, with the soldiers making the young officer an honorary Gurkha. After a troop inspection the couple met some of the Gurkhas' wives and partners. Charles and Camilla were given garlands before being driven to their waiting limousine in the back of an Army Land Rover covered with tinsel and flowers. Charles later went by helicopter to Badas to learn about the Heart of Borneo initiative to preserve forest on the island. He planted the 1,000th Tulong tree in a clearing destroyed by fire. The Heart of Borneo project has seen Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia working together to safeguard 220,000 square km (85,000 square miles) of forest. The couple went on to spend an evening with the Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, who is one of the world's richest men. The couple met the sultan's two wives, Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha and Pengiran Isteri Azrinaz Mazhar. A lavish banquet was held in honour of the prince and duchess.
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