The animal was brought to St. Helena from the Seychelles in 1882 along with three other turtles aged about 50 years old, and officially celebrated its 191st birthday last December.
Wednesday 24 January 2024 17:08, United Kingdom
Prince Edward met the world's oldest living land animal, a 191-year-old giant tortoise called Jonathan, on a remote island.
royal family made Duke of Edinburgh last yearThe encounter occurred on the grounds of Plantation House, the governor's official residence in St. Helena, a British overseas territory in the South Atlantic.
Reptiles have lived so long that edwardHis grandparents, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother), met him in 1947 when he was 115 years old.
the duke's late mother, queen elizabeth iiI also met Jonathan when I was Princess Elizabeth on the same trip.
When the late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, visited the island in 1957, he fed Jonathan, then 125 years old.
Jonathan is believed to have been born in 1832 and has lived through eight British monarchies, including Queen Victoria's 63-year reign.
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He was brought to St. Helena from the Seychelles in 1882 when he was around 50 years old, along with three others, and officially celebrated his 191st birthday last December.
At just 47 square miles, St. Helena is one-third the size of the Isle of Wight, and its closest landmass is Ascension Island, 1307 miles to the northwest.
This will be Edward's first royal visit since the Princess Royal visited 22 years ago in 2002.
The duke's trip was commemorated as a public holiday on the island. His four-day visit also included opening the airport, meeting with community leaders and learning about wildlife conservation efforts.
Governor Nigel Phillips described the holiday as a “special day” and said it would “enable the whole community to take part in this opportunity to celebrate all that is wonderful about the culture and environment of this wonderful island”.
The king's visit comes as he prepares to be admitted to hospital due to illness. Prostatic hypertrophyand the Princess of Wales remains in hospital afterwards abdominal surgery.
