Prince Harry’s Mini Royal Tour! Duke of Sussex announces he will travel to Singapore next month for a Sentebale polo match (and he will also attend a philanthropy summit in Tokyo)

Prince Harry will travel to Singapore next month to take part in Sentebale’s annual charity polo match, the organization has announced.

The Duke of Sussex, 38, co-founded Sentebale in 2006 to help vulnerable children in Lesotho, Botswana and Malawi, including those affected by extreme poverty and the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

This morning, the charity’s Instagram account – which has 28,900 followers – revealed details about this year’s event and the royal family’s plans to also take part in a summit in Tokyo.

It comes as Prince Harry’s sustainable tourism project, Travalyst, has announced it has entered an “incredibly exciting” era with a new board of directors – without mentioning the royal family.

A statement read: ‘Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, co-founder of Sentebale, will play in the Sentebale ISPS Handa Polo Cup 2023 at the Singapore Polo Club on August 12.’

The Duke of Sussex said: ‘The annual Polo Cup is essential to Sentebale’s vital work to ensure that children and young people are healthy, resilient and able to thrive.

“This year’s proceeds will benefit our Clubs and Camps program, which provides intensive psychosocial support to young people living with HIV.

“At a time when 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 they can break the cycle.

“We are delighted to be returning to the renowned Singapore Polo Club in August and are once again deeply grateful to the polo community and our sponsors, in particular ISPS Handa, for their continued commitment to the youth of Lesotho and Botswana.”

Prince Harry will lead the Royal Salute Sentebale Team, while Argentine player Nacho Figueras – who is also a Sentebale Ambassador – will play for the Singapore Polo Club team.

The organization also announced that Prince Harry and Nacho will participate in a summit on the power of sport, community and philanthropy in Tokyo the day before the game.

They added, “Before traveling to Singapore, both will participate in a summit on the power of sports, community and philanthropy at the ISPS Sports Values ​​Summit-Special Edition in Tokyo, Japan on August 9.”

The charity also posted footage from last year’s event in Colorado, where Prince Harry scored a whopping five goals.

The Duke of Sussex and Argentine polo player Nacho Figueras pictured at Sentebale’s annual charity event – which took place in Colorado last year

Prince Harry’s upcoming trip comes after a tumultuous few weeks for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Last week Prince Harry’s phone hacking case against the publisher of The Sun and claim of ‘secret agreement’ between Buckingham Palace and the press was dismissed by a judge.

Earlier this month, the Daily Mail exclusively revealed that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle wanted to ride Air Force One back to the United States after the Queen’s funeral, but the request was turned down by the White House in case it caused a “commotion”. .

In June, Spotify confirmed that Meghan Markle’s Spotify podcast Archetypes will not be renewed for a second season.

The streaming giant and the Sussexes released a joint statement saying they have ‘mutually agreed to part ways and are proud of the series we have created together’.

But Bill Simmons, Head of Podcast Innovation and Monetization at Spotify, condemned the pair shortly afterwards in an episode of his own podcast.

“The damn crooks. That’s the podcast we should have launched with them,” he said. “I have to get drunk one night and tell the story of the Zoom I had with Harry to try and help him with a podcast idea. It’s one of my best stories.’

Last March, Prince Harry insisted that his “personal commitment” to Sentebale was as “strong as ever” – despite stepping down from his role as senior working royal.

Prince Harry (pictured left, with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho in 2016) praised Sentebale for “acting during a very difficult year” – stressing that his “personal commitment” to the charity he co-founded 17 years ago “will continue unabated”. stay strong as ever’ ‘

The Duke of Sussex shared a joint statement with co-founder Prince Seeiso of Lesotho about the organization when releasing its annual report.

The duo said: ‘Despite adversity, we both remain inspired by the resilience and adaptability of the vibrant communities of Lesotho and Botswana.

‘We are proud of everything Sentebale has achieved and our personal commitment remains undiminished.’

During the year ending August 2021, Sentebale secured an income of £3.13m compared to £2.39m last year.

The amount spent on charitable activities was £2.53 million, up from £2.5 million in 2020.

It was revealed earlier this month that Johnny Hornby – one of the charity’s brightest operators – is stepping down as a trustee after 11 years.

His departure prompted Harry to pay tribute to his “leadership and vision” and “commitment, partnership and friendship.”

Harry and the charity’s co-founder Prince Seeiso of Lesotho described Hornby’s dedication to the children and young people of southern Africa as “incredible” and thanked him for enabling Sentebale to “provide holistic support to thousands of in Lesotho and Botswana’.

Johnny Hornby has stepped down as chairman of Prince Harry’s charity after 11 years. Pictured: Mr. Hornby with Meghan Markle at the Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club in July 2018

“He’s smart, there’s no doubt about that. A smooth operator and a tough commercial man,” one of them told Daily Mail’s Diary Editor Richard Eden.

During his time as a trustee at Sentebale, he was regularly caught in easy, friendly conversation with Harry and Meghan, or discreetly trailing behind them, as he did when the couple attended a London performance of the musical Hamilton.

The ad king has a business partnership with Jeremy Clarkson, who faced backlash over comments about Meghan Markle in a column. Pictured: Mr Clarkson (left), Mr Hornby (centre) and Kaleeb Cooper (right) at the launch of Hawkstone lager in November 2021

Still, his intimacy with the Sussexes didn’t stop him from emulating an equally warm friendship and professional relationship with someone very far from the couple’s circle – Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? host Jeremy Clarkson.

Hornby shared the ambition and optimism of the high-octane broadcaster and joined him in a brewing venture, Hawkstone, to produce a powerful lager, as well as a pale ale and a cider.

Their partnership might have gone unnoticed were it not for Clarkson’s decision to write an article late last year pointing out that he hated Meghan on “a cellular level,” adding – seemingly inspired by a scene from Game of Thrones – that he wanted to see her parade naked through the streets, with people throwing feces at her.

When this provoked loud criticism, Clarkson wrote a confidential private letter to Harry on Christmas Day.

It was then, it is said, that Hornby intervened. “Johnny is friends with both Jeremy and Harry, so he was kind of in the thick of it,” said one of Hornby’s allies. “He suggested it would be a good idea if Jeremy apologized.”

Clarkson apparently got the hint and wrote a full and despicable public apology.