Prince Harry is crowned king of the village as he gets 'head man' hat and stays the night with locals in Himalayan foothills 

Prince Harry was crowned king of the village tonight when he stayed in a Gurkha village.

On the royal's third day in Nepal he trekked up into the foothills of the Himalayas to spend the night in a traditional homestay. The whole village of Leurani turned out to welcome the prince and at a cultural show he was crowned with a white 'pheta' turban.

The cloth was wrapped around his head to signify he was now the village's 'head man'. Harry, 31, looked delighted and as the Nepali dancing started, enthusiastically clapped in time.

When a sudden hail storm sent the dancers and villagers scurrying for shelter, Harry grabbed two little girls' hands and started dancing. Dressed in traditional costumes the girls giggled as Harry twirled them around.

At the end of the show Harry went to have dinner with 86-year-old Gurkha widow Mangali Tamang.

The whole village of Leurani turned out to welcome Prince Harry to Nepal and at a cultural show he was crowned with a white 'pheta' turban which signifies he is the new 'head man'. He later danced in the village on day three of his five day tour around the country

The cloth was wrapped around Prince Harry's head to signify he is the village's 'head man' - the whole village turned out to welcome him

Prince Harry, wearing a pheta turban after being given the honour of being 'village head man', meets villagers during a visit to Leorani

Touching: Prince Harry was greeted by villagers and presented with a Gurkha hat as he arrives in a village which was hit by the earthquake

Dance: The community turned out for his arrival, lining the dusty road into the villaged in jewel-coloured saris and traditional local outfits

Hat: Prince Harry then headed to Bhir Kuna. He will trek in the foothills of the Himalayas later today and spend a night with a Gurkha family

Prince Harry, has a Feta Head dress, after being crowned headman of the village of Leorani, as he attends a welcome ceremony

He also spent the night in her four-room home in a communal area that is normally used for cooking. He did however have a bed specially brought in, although his police protection officer had to sleep on the floor.

Mrs Tamang, who boasts 119 relatives in the village, said: 'I'm very happy. I cried as when I die I can say I've talked to the King of a foreign land.

'We call all members of the royal family King and I'm very happy. When I met him I could do nothing but put a garland of flowers on him and I blessed him.

'I blessed him may he live 100 years and all his wishes become fulfilled and wherever he goes success will meet him. I'm very happy to meet someone who has fought with the Gurkhas and I'm really happy to meet him at this age.

'My house suffered a little crack in the earthquake but not too much.'

Mrs Tamand and her daughter-in-law Guan Shobra Tamang, 53, cooked Harry a dinner of rice, chicken curry, mixed vegetables, dahl and pickles.

Beforehand the prince joked that when he was serving in Afghanistan he had goat curry every other night.

He said: 'It started off really mild and then the spices got stronger and stronger. By the end, it was winter and all the guys were sitting eating in puffa jackets but the curry was so hot that I was sitting there sweating in my t-shirt.' 

Earlier on today Prince Harry donned local headgear and was garlanded with flowers as he visited a village on day three of his tour of Nepal.

The prince arrived by helicopter in the Bardia National Park which, together with neighbouring Banke National Park, forms the largest tiger conservation area in Asia.

At around 1000 sq km of forest and grassland, Bardia is also home to wild elephants, rhinos, crocodiles and more than 250 species of bird.

Dressed casually in chinos and desert boots, he was taken on short trip by raft along the Khauraha River, before driving the last few minutes to the village of Dalla, which has turned its back on poaching to develop a new eco-friendly homestay business as a source of revenue.

Harry, who is on a five-day official tour of Nepal, is keen to highlight the benefits of conservation projects in the area.

Traditional: Prince Harry donned local headgear and was greeted by a second group of ceremonial virgins on day three of his tour of Nepal

Greeting: Prince Harry visited Leorani hamlet in western Nepal today on his trip to Bardia National Park and was given a flower garland

Visit: Prince Harry was driven to the village of Dalla, which has turned its back on poaching to develop a new eco-friendly business

Meeting: Upon his arrival the prince was again greet by 'five virgins' or panchakanya - very much like the young local girls who greeted him in Kathmandu - who gave him garlands and a tika, a smear of red dye on his forehead from 12-year-old Urbashi Yogi

Enjoying himself: Harry, who is on a five-day official tour of Nepal, is keen to highlight the benefits of conservation projects in the area

Colourful: A group of eight dancing girls, known as a Dasain walked in front of the royal and heralded his arrival into the village

Symbolic: According to the head of the village the red tika offers visitors a godlike status, meaning he is their treasured guest

He and his brother, Prince William, have campaigned heavily on the issue in recent years, although not all their efforts have been deemed a success.

Both have faced criticism for hunting wild boar and stag days before William launched a major imitative to curb the trafficking on endangered animal parts such as ivory and rhino.

And just last week William was criticised after arguing the need for controlled trophy hunting.

Nevertheless Harry's visit is designed to highlight Nepalese success in protecting their wildlife over recent years and the importance of this for continued economic prosperity.

Start of the trek: Harry, who is on a five-day official tour of Nepal, is keen to highlight the benefits of conservation projects in the area

Greeting: Harry's visit is designed to highlight Nepalese success in protecting their wildlife over recent years and the importance of this for continued economic prosperity

Intent: Prince Harry visits Bardia National Park and meets members of the local community as he views conservation measures

The entire community turned out for his arrival, lining the dusty road into the village rested in jewel-coloured saris and traditional local outfits.

The prince was again greet by 'five virgins' or panchakanya - very much like the young local girls who greeted him in Kathmandu - who gave him garlands and a tika, a smear of red dye on his forehead from 12-year-old Urbashi Yogi.

According to the head of the village the tika offers visitors a godlike status, meaning he is their treasured guest.

A group of eight dancing girls, known as a Dasain, who clashing sticks as they moved, walked in front of the royal and heralded his colourful arrival into the village.

Conservationist: Harry has a well-known passion for animal conservation and today visited Bardia National Park, Nepal, to learn about its wildlife programmes which have allowed its tiger population to flourish. (Pictured right: The prince does his best tiger impression)

Friendly: A welcome message was chalked on to an elephant for Prince Harry in the Bardia National Park in Kathmandu, Nepal today

Technological: The prince was particularly interested in learning about how the trap cameras (pictured) work in monitoring the tigers

All smiles: Wearing a World Wildlife Foundation scarf presented to him when he first arrived, Prince Harry did his best tiger impression

Feline: A picture from the Tiger trap of Prince Harry pretending to be a tiger during his visit to the Bardia National Park in Nepal

Cat-like: A guide suggested the prince walk like a tiger to get an idea of how the camera traps worked in monitoring the animals

Surveying his handiwork: Prince Harry chats to rangers as he learns about the tiger traps the WWF and local rangers set up in the park

The dance is to signify the overpowering of the a demon by the God Vishnu, the head of the clan, Mangal Tharu.

Harry was then shown one of the new homesteads which can be rented by the night for around £10.

At the homestay village, Nepali and foreign tourists gain first-hand experience of the culture and tradition of its people and also gain a better understanding of the rich biodiversity of the region.

There are 22 homestays in Dalla and since the project started in 2010, there have been 17,000 visitors, the vast majority being Nepalis.

The diversification has seen their income shoot up to $70,000 in the last five years, as opposed to $7,000 previously.

The village elder told Harry: 'It's an honour to welcome you sir and we are pleased to have you in our village. '

Harry also viewed a new bio gas system which cost the villagers $300 to install but can be used to turn animal dung into fuel for cooking, meaning they can save money on fuel.

'That's just amazing,' he said.

Keen: Prince Harry was eager to see the results as the wildlife expert showed him the images from the camera traps on his laptop

Excited: The prince soon became more interested in seeing pictures of the tigers which had previously been taken on the camera traps

Wildlife lover: The Prince was delighted when he was shown a picture of a tiger walking past the spot where he was standing in the forest

Harry also chatted at length to one homestead owner, Champi Tharu, 43, and the president of the project, Parshuram Tharu, 38. about how the entire village has turned its back on poaching and hunting deer to creating an industry based on the local wildlife with the help of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

He told the couple: 'You are proving to the rest of the world, especially Africa, that it can be done. You are proving that man and animals can live alongside each other.

'If this wasn't the case you wouldn't have tiger, you wouldn't have rhino being reintroduced and probably no elephant. And if you didn't have them you wouldn't have any tourists.

'You can see what a huge benefit wildlife is to the community. Instead of suffocating the park you are ring fencing it.'

Before he left a slightly reluctant looking Harry was given an armful of traditional gifts and persuaded to put on his topi.

'No, it's too small, I promise you it will be too small,' he laughingly protested as the hat was squashed on his head.

He also put on a traditional waistcoat which he continued to wear even having left the village.

Despite the challenges the country has faced following the devastation of last year's earthquake, the message from many in Nepal is that it the country is very much 'open for business.'

Tourism forms a significant section of the country's income and Harry hopes events today will draw attention to Nepal as a tourist destination once again.  

Good news: The prince learned that tiger numbers are on the increase at the park after a fall in poaching and increased conservation

Enjoying his visit: Prince Harry is escorted by Nepali military as he walks down a track in Bardia National Park on day three of his visit

Floating along: Harry began his visit to the area by enjoying a boat ride along a river through the park while looking out for crocodiles

Deep in conversation: The prince will trek in the foothills of the Himalayas later today and spend a night with a Gurkha family in their home

Chatting away: The prince glided through the clear waters with a guide and a small entourage who told him about their work at the park