The Duke of Sussex has discussed his ’20 year connection’ with Angola and Botswana in a social media post on Thursday.
Prince Harry, 34, shared the message on the Sussex Royal Instagram account just a day after it was announced he and wife Meghan will visit South Africa in the autumn.
The father-of-one also discussed the importance of free-flowing rivers to the country and penned: “Known by the locals as ‘Source of life”, this ecosystem is wilderness at its best, playing an absolutely crucial role for the planet, people and wildlife. This is our one and only chance to save this magnificent last Eden.’
The words were posted alongside a picture of the royal co-hosting a fundraising event for National Geographic’s Into The Okavango – a documentary film that highlights the vulnerability of the critical ecosystem that is The Okavango Delta and its source rivers in Angola.
The Duke of Sussex, 34, has discussed his ’20 year connection’ with Angola and Botswana in a touching new Instagram message on Thursday. He posted the words alongside a fundraising event he proudly co-hosted for National Geographic’s Into The Okavango last week (pictured)
Pictured, Duke and Duchess of Sussex during Trooping The Colour, the Queen’s annual birthday parade, on June 8, 2019 in London
The post went on to explain that His Royal Highness is ‘grateful’ to see National Geographic partnering with the Angolan government and The Halo Trust in protecting the local habitat and supporting the sustainable management of the river basin’s resources.
Speaking of the dangers of destruction, Harry added: ‘Millions of people, food security and regional power generation are dependant on these free-flowing rivers.’
‘Threats such as uncontrolled fires, the bushmeat trade, unsustainable harvesting of the forest and rapid biodiversity loss are already destroying this incredible and delicate landscape.’
On Wednesday, the country’s British High Commissioner Nigel Casey addressed journalists at the press conference in London and confirmed that new parents Meghan and Harry will embark upon a royal tour of the Rainbow Nation later this year. High Commissioner Casey said the trip would be a ‘short one’.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will make the trip to South Africa later this year, the British High Commissioner to the country, Nigel Casey, confirmed on Wednesday
The post explained that His Royal Highness is ‘grateful’ to see National Geographic partnering with the Angolan government and The Halo Trust in protecting the local habitat and supporting the sustainable management of the river basin’s resources
There has been speculation for a number of months that the royal couple will visit a number of countries in southern Africa.
Stops in Angola and Malawi are rumoured to be on the agenda, although no details have been confirmed by the palace.
It’s unclear whether the couple’s son Archie will travel with his parents or remain at home.
Mr Casey told a press conference this morning that the royals were ‘coming back to visit South Africa in the autumn’.
He joked: ‘That’s great news for us, and I predict it’s also good news for the South African economy.
‘I predict a hat and frock buying frenzy to rival SONA [the country’s State of the Nation Address, which took place last Thursday] which could restore economic growth all on its own.
It’s unclear whether the new parents will take their young son Archie, born May 6th, with them. High Commissioner Casey said the trip would be a ‘short one’
‘We’re hugely looking forward to that and thanks in anticipation for that and all the support that I know we’re going to receive.’
He added: ‘This a much shorter visit, they’ll be here for a matter of days and not months.’
While it will be autumn in the UK, it will be springtime in the Southern Hemisphere.
Harry first visited Botswana when he was just 13, two months after his mother Diana died.
He has since described as his ‘second home’ and it is considered one of the likely stops in the couple’s itinerary, especially as it is a Commonwealth country as the Queen appointed her grandson one of its youth ambassadors last year and sees him as an important proponent of her legacy.
It is speculated that he may journey to Angola in a bid to complete his late mother’s legacy of charity work for the HALO Trust.
Diana famously visited Angola in January 1997, just months before her tragic death in a car crash in Paris in August that year.
Harry has visited Angola in the past. In 2013 he travelled to Cuando Cubango province to experience the impact of landmines of the region.