Prince to visit tsunami-hit areas

Prince Andrew will visit areas of Thailand badly hit by the tsunami

Prince Andrew is to visit Thailand and meet people who helped Britons in the aftermath of the 26 December tsunami, Buckingham Palace has said.

During a two-day stay, he will visit Phuket and Bangkok, areas where many of the British victims had been staying.

The prince is expected to meet Foreign Office staff and British police who have helped in identifying victims.

The tsunami is estimated to have killed over 220,000 people, with 109 Britons confirmed dead and 49 still missing.

The prince is also set to see rebuilding work on the holiday island of Phuket and is expected to thank Thai police and workers for their efforts.

His brother Prince Charles stopped off in tsunami-hit eastern Sri Lanka on his way to Australia in February.

The Prince of Wales met aid workers and locals in the Batticaloa district, where one in 10 inhabitants died in the disaster.