Prince Harry is to visit Lesotho and South Africa on behalf of his Sentebale charity, a cause that is close to his heart. Clarence House announced that the royal, who recently returned from duty in Afghanistan, will visit the region from 25-27 February 2013. Sentebale was founded by Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho in 2006 to help vulnerable children in the country.
The British prince last visited Lesotho in 2010 and says he relishes his time there. “Every time I spend time with the kids, I get this buzz,” he has said. “Spending time with them keeps me grounded.” On his next trip, Prince Harry will spend the first two days of his trip privately, visiting Sentebale projects in Lesotho. On 27th February, he will carry out public engagements in the Maseru district of Lesotho and then travel to Johannesburg, South Africa, to attend the Sentebale Gala Dinner. There are plans to expand Sentebale’s work in four other southern African countries. “He is very passionate about making a difference,” said the charity’s chief executive Cathy Ferrier, who is hoping to raise further awareness of the charity this summer, with the introduction of a Lesotho-inspired garden at the Chelsea Flower show. The chief executive was asked whether the controversy surrounding Prince Harry’s infamous trip to Las Vegas last August had an impact on his charity work. “No, it didn’t cause us any problems,” she told a newspaper. “People were sympathetic towards him as a whole.”
Harry was accompanied by his brother Prince William on his 2010 visit to Lesotho.Sentebale means ‘forget me not’ in Sesotho, the language spoken in Lesotho, and for both brothers, their late mother Princess Diana is never far from their thoughts. “She’d be very proud of what Harry’s done with Sentebale, bearing in mind that it’s actually his own charity that he started,” William has said. “Hopefully she’d be chuffed.” Harry has also won praise from the people of Lesotho, where he is regarded as a hero. “We don’t call him Harry; here he is known as Mohale, which means brave man or warrior,” said Malineo Motsephe, who helped organize Harry’s first trip to the country in 2004. “He dared to come here and live with us and his concern and empathy for the disadvantaged people of our country has made a difference and will continue to make a difference.”Find out more about Prince Harry's charity here