Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand visits Maropeng

Oct 7, 2011 | Bianca Bothma
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Maropeng MD Tony Rubin and Curator Lindsay Marshall welcome Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn

The Cradle of Humankind was visited by Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand today with a royal delegation of more than 15 people.

The tour of the Maropeng Visitor Centre was organised for the princess by the Thai Embassy in South Africa. The princess is in transit after royal visits to Lesotho and Swaziland earlier in the week.

The royal delegation was welcomed by Maropeng Managing Director Tony Rubin, who says hosting international guests at the Cradle of Humankind is a privilege for the visitor centre and provides a great opportunity for international exposure, “The more exposure we get from international visits, the more a visit to the Cradle of Humankind will be promoted internationally.”

Princess Sirindhorn enjoyed all the dynamic parts of the tour such as the boat ride and the vortex, and took notes during the private tour given by Maropeng Curator Lindsay Marshall.

Marshall says this was a proud moment for her, “To be able to represent Maropeng internationally to people of such importance is a real honour.”

Princess Sirindhorn will be visiting Sterkfontein Caves on Saturday morning before she returns to Thailand.

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Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn interacts with the extinct animal display in the exhibition
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Maropeng Curator Lindsay Marshall explains an item on display in the fossils room to Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn
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A member of the royal Thailand delegation writes a message on the chalkboard at the end of the exhibition
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Delicious wraps were served for lunch at the Maropeng Hotel restaurant