Where and Why Did Prince Harry Travel for Charity Polo Match?
Prince Harry traveled cross-country from his home in Montecito, California, to support his nonprofit charity, Sentebale.
Harry, 39, is set to attend a charity polo match in Florida on Friday, April 12, on behalf of his Sentebale organization, according to a press release. He will play in the Royal Salute Polo Challenge alongside his friend, and Sentebale ambassador, Nacho Figueras.
One night earlier, the Duke of Sussex sat on a panel for the nonprofit to discuss health, wealth inequity and climate challenges facing African youth at José Andrés Group’s Zaytinya in South Beach.
“Our youth advocates are just one example of the incredible potential we see in the young people we work with,” Dr. Sophie Chandauka, who is the chair of Sentebale, said in a statement. “Within the Let Youth Lead program, they are learning to use their voices on national radio to influence health budget allocation, national policies and to debate critical societal topics that were once taboo. It is important and a huge privilege to connect with such esteemed voices here in the U.S. to discuss how we can collectively support the next generation in solutions for change in the Global South.”
Harry cofounded the organization in 2006 alongside Prince Seeiso of Lesotho to support young Africans who are living with HIV and AIDS. Per a statement on the nonprofit’s website, Sentebale was launched as “a response to the needs of young people in Lesotho” and driven by Harry and Seeiso’s “shared love for the country” and “in honor of [their] mothers.” (Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, died in 1997, while Seeiso’s mom, Queen Mamohato Bereng Seeiso, died six years later in 2006.)
“It was amazing. We jumped on the horses and rode off to his cattle post,” Harry said of meeting Seeiso, now 57, in Netflix’s Harry & Meghan docuseries, which began streaming in December 2022. “It didn’t take very long until we became like brothers.”
Prince Harry Through the Years: His Military Career, Fatherhood and More
Seeiso also participated in the documentary, further recalling how the two princes bonded over being members of respective royal families and losing their mothers at young ages.
“I could see that Harry is very much his mother,” Seeiso said in an interview for Harry & Meghan.
One of Sentebale’s big charity events is its annual Polo Cup. Last year’s match took place in Singapore, and Harry participated in the game.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Charitable Work Throughout the Years
“The annual Polo Cup is essential to Sentebale’s vital work ensuring children and young people are healthy, resilient and able to thrive,” Harry said in a statement ahead of the August 2023 match. “The funds raised this year will support our Clubs and Camps program, which provides intensive psychosocial support to young people living with HIV. In a time where being HIV positive is no longer a death sentence, we are empowering young people to know their status, stay healthy and eliminate the stigma so that they can break the cycle.”
Harry competed with the Royal Salute Sentebale team, facing off against Figueras. The two squads ended up sharing the trophy after finishing the match in a tie.
Harry’s work with Sentebale is one of his many positions and patronages he has focused on since stepping down from his role as a senior working royal. He and wife Meghan Markle left their posts in 2020 amid family drama with Harry’s father, King Charles III, and brother, Prince William, and relocated to California with kids Archie, 4, and Lilibet, 2.
