Er, careful, Harry! Playful prince charms guests at fundraising event for disaster relief organisation he is patron of

Royal made poor choice of hand gestures as he chatted to chief executive



Harry is patron of MapAction, which helps in relief efforts during disasters

He praised volunteers who map areas struck by catastrophe

' They are extraordinary people and this is an extraordinary organisation'





It looked like Prince Harry's hands were wandering as he chatted with a top charity official last night.



The royal was at an event to promote MapAction, which helps co-ordinate relief efforts in disaster areas as he watched a team responding to a mock earthquake

He praised the 'extraordinary' volunteers of a humanitarian emergency response organisation as he was spirited to the heart of a devastating earthquake.

But it appeared he was making a slightly suspicious gesture as he chatted to the organisation's chief executive Liz Hughes.

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Careful there Harry! The Prince made a suspect gesture as he chats to chief executive Liz Hughes (right) at a reception for MapAction at the Royal Society, London

Harry spoke of his pride at being patron of MapAction which helps co-ordinate relief efforts in disaster areas as he watched a team responding to a mock earthquake.

The royal looked on intently as a small team of three MapAction volunteers battled to cope with the natural disaster inside a canvas field tent complete with satellite phones, first aid kits and dozens of maps.

MapAction, which is based near High Wycombe, Bucks., produces maps highlighting not only the geography of an area but where need is greatest and the locations for vital humanitarian aid.

The organisation has successfully deployed to more than 40 emergency missions since its service was launched over 10 years, helping millions of people affected by disaster.

Speaking to potential MapAction donors and existing financial supporters and helpers at the Royal Society in London Harry said he had met volunteers.

Patron: Prince Harry, centre, with Chief Executive, Liz Hughes, right, and Chairman of Trustees, Roy Wood, at a reception for MapAction at the Royal Society, in central London

He said: 'I was struck by their willingness to drop everything at a moment's notice - despite the fact I'd do that in my job anytime - and step into the heart of the crisis no matter where it is in the world, leaving loved ones behind.'

He added: 'And to do this knowing that very few people will have any idea what contribution they have made. They are extraordinary people and this is an extraordinary organisation.'

The mock earthquake was based on the organisation's efforts in Haiti whose capital Port-au-Prince was devastated by a natural disaster in 2010.

Proud: Prince Harry has praised the 'extraordinary' volunteers of a humanitarian emergency response organisation

During the scenario Hamish Pritchard, a glaciologist with the British Antarctic Survey who was part of the MapAction team sent to Haiti, told the audience: 'We've got some text messages from people trapped in the rubble, we're putting the locations into the maps and sending out teams.'

This was based on real events from Port-au-Prince as texts were used to track down survivors.

MapAction has been working in Syria since December to map the needs of affected communities and co-ordinate humanitarian efforts to ensure those most in need receive help first.

And last week two members of its team flew to the Sudan where weeks of heavy rains triggered flash floods in August.

The Royal called MapAction 'Extraordinary people and this is an extraordinary organisation'

Dozens of people were killed and hundreds of thousands have been affected by the disaster which hit the area around the capital Khartoum.

Harry told his audience: 'The maxim 'who, what, why, when and where' is common to many organisations and across many different situations for a very reason.

'Without this information it's just not possible to make effective decisions. In the context of a natural disaster it is of course vital to make decisions quickly in order to save lives and protect those who may still be in danger.