Inside Prince Harry’s Whirlwind National Parks Tour of Southern Africa

Last week, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced their plans to return to Europe for another set of charity visits. But soon, his spokesperson also announced that Harry was already in the midst of a trip to support one of his long-running charities in Africa. In his capacity as the president of Africa Parks, a South Africa-based organization that manages national parks around the continent, the prince showed a group of diplomats and dignitaries around a series of national parks and nature reserves.

On Monday, the Twitter account for Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame shared a picture of Harry and Kagame during his visit to the country as a part of this tour, adding that Rwanda works with African Parks to maintain the Akagera and Nyungwe National Parks. The account for the Kigali Genocide Memorial shared photos of the prince’s visit to commemorate the country’s 1994 genocide.

According to the Daily Mail, Harry’s trip began when he flew from Los Angeles to Heathrow airport on August 14, before catching a connecting flight to Johannesburg. Harry’s trip also included a tour of Bazaruto Archipelago in Mozambique, which is also managed by African Parks. The Mail noted that Harry used to visit the Bazaruto Island regularly with his ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy. Davy, who dated Harry from 2004 to 2010, is originally from neighboring Zimbabwe.

The tabloid spoke to Yassin Amuji, the head of the Vilanculos tourist association, after he had breakfast with Harry. “I explained to him how difficult things have been in the tourist industry because of COVID and he was very sympathetic and wished us well,” Amuji said. “He was simple and humble and very polite even when guests at the hotel were coming up to take pictures. I have seen Prince Harry coming to this area since he was in his twenties and enjoying his holidays to Bazaruto. I know he will come back and hopefully bring his family next time.” Amuji added that Harry traveled to the archipelago from Vilanculos by boat because it allowed him to take in more of the wildlife.

Harry became president of African Parks in December 2017 and originally got involved with the organization in July 2016, when he spent three weeks working on an elephant translocation project in Malawi. In a recent speech to the United Nations general assembly, he discussed his early experiences on the continent and why it has become a focus for him. 

“Since I first visited Africa at 13 years old, I’ve always found hope on the continent. In fact, for most of my life, it has been my lifeline,” he said. “It’s where I’ve felt closest to my mother and sought solace after she died, and where I knew I had found a soulmate in my wife.”

Listen to Vanity Fair’s DYNASTY podcast now.