The Duke of Sussex has taken on an incredible new role and one which is close to his heart. Prince Harry, 39, has become an officially appointed member of the Board of Directors for conservation organisation, African Parks.
The father-of-two has been working closely with African Parks since 2016 and for the past six years, he has served as its President.
In a biography on the organisation’s website, it says: “The Duke has dedicated his life’s work to advancing causes that he is passionate about, and that bring about permanent change for people and places.”
“For over two decades, he has taken a deep personal interest in frontline conservation projects across Africa that work to protect the region’s natural resources and wildlife, for the benefit of local communities.”
He served as part of African Parks’ team to help implement the first phase of the 500 Elephants project in 2016.
And most recently, in 2022, he co-hosted a group of US official conservationists, and philanthropists as they toured protected wildlife and nature preserves under African Parks’ Management in Zambia, Mozambique and Rwanda.
Africa is a place close to the Duke’s heart, with his first visits to the continent stemming back to his childhood.
In 1997, he joined his father, then Prince Charles, on a trip to South Africa, where he also met the Spice Girls.
Over the years, Harry has carried out both public and private visits to Africa, and whisked his then-girlfriend, Meghan Markle, to Botswana in the early months of their relationship in 2016.
And in September 2019, the Sussexes took their then four-month-old son, Prince Archie, on their tour to southern Africa.
Harry will no doubt look forward to taking his two-year-old daughter Princess Lilibet to Africa in future too.
The Duke and Duchess reside with their two children in Montecito, California, having moved to the US in 2020 following their decision to step back as senior royals.
The couple have been carving out their new lives stateside, including deals with Netflix, Meghan’s podcast series with Spotify (which came to an end earlier this year), and their work with their Archewell Foundation.
Harry and Meghan visited New York earlier this month to mark World Mental Health Day at a summit.
The pair have long been advocates for online safety and trying to make social media platforms better, in particular for children and young people.
