The Duke of Sussex has spoken about becoming a father to baby Archie in a heartfelt foreword for one of his patronages. In his role as President, Prince Harry has written a letter for African Parks' annual report, an organisation focused on conservation.
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Harry spoke about the importance of protecting wildlife for future generations, writing: "Since becoming a father, I feel the pressure is even greater to ensure we can give our children the future they deserve, a future that hasn’t been taken from them, and a future full of possibility and opportunity. I want us all to be able to tell our children that yes, we saw this coming, and with the determination and help from an extraordinary group of committed individuals, we did what was needed to restore these essential ecosystems."
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are currently living in Los Angeles with baby Archie after stepping back from royal duties in March 2020. Harry has been President of African Parks since 2017 and has visited Africa several times, including his and Meghan's royal tour of South Africa in September 2019.
At the start of his letter, the Duke wrote: "I have always been grateful for what wild places provide. Since my first trip to Africa as a young boy, I knew I would keep returning to this continent if I could, for its wildlife, for its people, and for its vast expanse. That is why I am so fortunate to have found African Parks and to have been asked to join them in 2017 as their President. I am hugely grateful for their clarity of purpose and am more motivated than ever to do all I can to advance the mission of protecting wild places, for wildlife, for people and for generations to come."
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Harry also touched upon the current coronavirus crisis, saying: "We are currently living through an extinction crisis, and now a global pandemic that has shaken us to our core and brought the world to a standstill. On the extinction crisis the science is clear: we have perhaps a decade to course correct before we lock in our fate. On this pandemic, while much is still unknown, some evidence suggests that the virus’ origins may be linked to our exploitation of nature. The gravity of these challenges is coming to light, but we must not be paralysed by them."
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