Flying squad: Princes William and Harry are both currently doing military service
Helping hand: Both princes are keen to expand their charity work
Cheer: Prince William and Harry enjoying the Six Nations rugby recently
Helping hand: Both princes are keen to expand their charity work
Prince William and Prince Harry are to undertake their first joint royal tour later this year, Mail Online can exclusively reveal.
The brothers will take a break from their respective military training to carry out a series of engagements in Africa together in June.
The highlight of their week and a half long road trip will be to attend one of the England football team's World Cup fixtures in South Africa.
They also plan to host a glitzy reception to highlight the country's bid to host the FIFA tournament in 2018.
As president of the Football Association, it is natural that William, 27, would be involved.
The 2018 team - which has suffered a series of set-backs of late - hope that Harry's presence will add even more lustre to the event, although the princes may attract criticism from those who feel the trip is little more than a glorified 'jolly'.Both princes want to make the most of their visit, however, and plan to cram in a series of engagements to publicise their respective charitable interests while on the continent.
For William, this will involve a visit to Botswana to highlight the work of the Tusk Trust, of which he is royal patron.
The charity, which is currently celebrating its 20th anniversary, is one of the leading conservation organisations in the region.
Harry, 25, hopes to accompany his brother on part of the visit before taking him onto Lesotho, where his own charity, Sentebale, is based.
Lesotho is one of the world's poorest nations and has been devastated by an HIV pandemic.
One third of its 1.8 million population is infected with HIV or Aids and 40 per cent of children are orphans as a result. Average life expectancy is just 40 years.
Harry visited the country during his gap year and was so moved by its plight that he set up Sentebale - which means forget me not - in memory of his late mother, Princess Diana and her work with African Aids orphans.
The brothers eagerly awaited inaugural official tour follows William's phenomenally successful trip to New Zealand and Australia on behalf of the Queen last month.
Royal aides (not to mention William himself) were taken back by the warmth of the reception and are keen to capitalise on that as much as their military careers allow.
William is training to become an RAF Search and Rescue pilot on Anglesey, while Harry is with the Army Air Corps.
The younger prince's involvement in the trip is ultimately dependant on whether he is chosen by the force to fly Apache or Lynx helicopters.
Harry favours the Lynx - but if he is deemed fit to fly the Apache, the military's top attack helicopter, he may have to cut short some of his plans as he will need to embark on the next stage of his training earlier than expected. A decision is expected in early April.
'Although we are still in the early stages of planning, this is a huge trip for both of the princes,' said a senior royal source.
'They have never undertaken a joint tour before, partly because their schedules have never allowed it and partly because, until now, neither have taken on much in the way of royal duties.
But Prince William's recent tour of the Antipodes on behalf of his grandmother went phenomenally well. He was really taken aback by how warmly he was received and while he is still totally and utterly committed to his career with the RAF, would like to do more if he can.'
The source added: 'I know both of them are looking forward to it immensely. They had a great time travelling together when they took part in the EnduroAfrica motorcross rally just over a year ago.
'Since then the closeness of their relationship has been cemented by sharing a house together when they were both training up at Shawbury together.
They haven't lived together like that since they were young children and they got on brilliantly.
They were a bit like the odd couple, really. William was quite houseproud, fussing about, while Harry sat on the sofa glued to the remote control.
'Both of them know how much their lives will change when they get married and settle down, so it's an ideal opportunity for them to spend some quality time together.'
A St James's Palace spokesman last night confirmed that joint tour was planned, saying: 'Prince William and Prince Harry are keen to use the spotlight on South Africa during the World Cup to highlight many other issues that the region is tackling.
'Equally, Prince William is keen to support the FA with its Bid to host the World Cup in England in 2018. It is too early to confirm yet if they will be visiting South Africa during the summer.'
William to hand out Bafta
Prince William is set to mark another royal milestone when he presents a prestigious Academy Fellowship at this year's Baftas.
The 27-year-old royal will make his inaugural appearance at the glitzy showbusiness event in London on Sunday, mingling with stars including George Clooney, Meryl Streep and Sandra Bullock.
The BAFTAS are the British film industry's biggest event of the year and have a long association with the Royal Family.
The Fellowship - which is this year being given to veteran actress Vanessa Redgrave - recognises an individual's outstanding contribution to film.
Some of the industry's biggest names have received the award, including Charlie Chaplin, Alfred Hitchcock and Steven Spielberg.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1251654/Exclusive-Princes-William-Harry-joint-royal-tour-Africa.html#ixzz0fnzP6B6a
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