Dundee’s own Royal link at Prince Harry’s and Meghan’s wedding
Former teachers have described Lawrence as one of the finest students produced by the school.
As many sat down yesterday to watch the Royal wedding, Dundonians were surprised and proud to spot one of their own as a guest at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding, watched yesterday by millions around the world.
Former Dundee High School headboy, Lawerence Munro, was spotted among the 600 guests asked to attend the actual ceremony at St. George’s Chapel as well as the subsequent lunchtime reception hosted by the Queen at St. George’s Hall. .Kerren, his wife, could wait outside the church but only Lawrence could go inside and witness the wedding.
According to Kensington Palace, 2,640 members of the public were invited to watch the arrivals of Harry and Meghan at Windsor Castle,
Dundonians who watched the wedding on television yesterday, contacted the Courier to confirm that they had seen Lawrence as a guest. Other guests included ‘A-Listers’ Serena Williams, David and Victoria Beckham, the Clooneys, Sir Elton John,
James Blunt, Joss Stone and Jessica Mulroney together with Lindsay Roth who are both longtime friends of Meghan.
Lawerence, 42, – renowned wildlife conservationist, who previously headed Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife’s anti rhino poaching operations, met Prince Harry in 2015 and became a close friend shortly after the Prince left the Army in 2015″ and that they spent “several weeks working on military anti-poaching patrols” during a 10-day elephant relocation project in Malawi.
Prince Harry visited Dundee in November 1997 with his father, Prince Charles, when he was just a boy and were met at Dundee airfield by the late David Rattray of Fugitive’s Drift Lodge where the Royals stayed.
In July last year, Lawrence was gored by a black rhino while attempting to shield a group of tourists from the charging animal during a walking safari in Malawi.
He was airlifted to a private hospital in Johannesburg after suffering serious wounds to one of his legs. He recovered well.
Regarded as one of Ezemvelo’s most passionate anti-poaching officers‚ Lawrence left the organisation about two years ago to join the African Parks network as field operations manager for Malawi’s Liwonde National Park.
Before leaving South Africa in late 2015‚ Munro was at the front-line of rhino anti-poaching efforts in Ezemvelo’s flagship Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park.
He felt so passionate about halting the poaching that he took study leave to learn how to fly. After obtaining his private pilot’s licence he helped to set up ZAP-Wing‚ a small group of pilots that began to patrol Hluhluwe-Imfolozi and neighbouring private reserves.
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He was also commended by Ezemvelo in 2009 for his role in arresting four rhino poachers and in 2014 was honoured as one of the winners in the annual Rhino Conservation Awards organised by the Department of Environmental Affairs‚ private donors and the Gamer Rangers Association of Africa.
Previously head ranger of the iMfolozi wilderness area at the Makhamisa outpost‚ Lawrence became head of Ezemvelo’s Rhino Operations Unit‚ an anti-poaching task force for the whole of KwaZulu-Natal.
The award citation noted that Lawrence line of work was “unforgiving‚ unrelenting and dangerous” and that Lawrence Munro and his young family had to be constantly on guard.
Kevin Burge, formerly of Dundee High, described Lawrence as one of the finest students produced by the school.
