Britain’s Prince Harry attends Expo 2015 presentation in Rome

A large crowd of children and well-wishers, armed with Union Jack flags, on Sunday evening flocked to the Italian capital's Maxxi modern art museum to catch a glimpse of Britain's Prince Harry.

Harry took his time to greet the crowd and chatted with the children as he arrived at the museum to attend a ceremony to present the UK pavilion for next year's world fair Expo 2015.

The Expo, which will feature 60 pavilions built by the 140-plus participant countries around the main exhibition theme of nutrition, will be held in Italy's financial capital Milan.

Thousands of events and cultural activities will also take place at the site of Expo 2015, which will run for six months from May 2015 and could generate around €10 billion. The exhibition takes place every five years.

Prince Harry said the event's themes were important for him.

"The themes of the expo; sustainability and development are ones which are close to my heart, as I, like many of you here today feel hugely responsible for the next generation. 2015 is an important year for Italy as host of the world Expo, but it is also the year when progress against the Millennium Development Goals will be reviewed and a new global development agenda to end hunger and poverty will be set. With this in mind, the themes of sustainability and development, are well-timed. How can we best help communities in developing countries to help themselves? Supporting them to bring an end to extreme poverty and the effects of chronic diseases, such as HIV, must surely be a priority. Together we can succeed in improving the quality of life in such communities across the developing world and in doing so bring the hope of a brighter future to millions and millions of children," he said.

Following a high-profile corruption scandal that risked disrupting the lucrative event, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi earlier in the week enlisted the head of Italy's new anti-bribery authority to help salvage preparations for the Expo.

Seven former lawmakers, managers and public officials were arrested last week over alleged attempts to influence public tenders for the fair, which Italy hopes will attract 20 million visitors and help bolster a still feeble economic recovery. — Reuters