In 2017, Prince Harry became the president of African Parks, a large-scale NGO financed by billionaire conservationists. African Parks operates in more than a dozen African countries, working on everything from tagging and monitoring rhinos and elephants to extremely dangerous anti-poaching work. Up until 2023, Harry served as president. Then he shifted over to a board position that same year. That was the same year that attacks on African Parks began ramping up in the British media. You see, Harry had something Prince William wanted, and Harry refused to understand that Africa belongs to William. So a multiyear campaign has been waged by William to pressure Harry into stepping down from African Parks. It looks like it worked.
African Parks today announced a governance refresh of its Board of Directors, welcoming Justice Isaac Lenaola and Alice Ruhweza as incoming members, and expressing deep gratitude to Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, who will conclude his tenure following a ten-year commitment to the organisation.
Following a ten-year association with African Parks, Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, will conclude his tenure on the Board of Directors. His relationship with the organisation dates back to Malawi in July 2016, when he supported one of the largest elephant translocations in history. He served as President for six years before being appointed a member of the Board of Directors. Over the years, The Duke has brought global attention to the urgent need for biodiversity protection for the benefit of people and wildlife, and has contributed greatly to promoting philanthropy for the cause of conservation in Africa. The Duke remains deeply committed to this cause, and remains a strong supporter of African Parks’ work.
“We extend our thanks to all the members of the Board who generously volunteer their time in support of our conservation mission – and particularly to The Duke of Sussex, for a decade of committed service to African Parks. We are delighted to welcome Justice Isaac Lenaola and Alice Ruhweza, whose distinguished records will contribute to the depth of expertise and breadth of experience that have long defined our Board,” said Vas Narasimhan, the Chairperson of the African Parks Board.
These changes will take effect from the forthcoming Board meeting, on 30 September 2026.
As a non-profit organisation, African Parks Board members are not remunerated, beyond compensation for expenses.
Again, Harry became president of African Parks in 2017 – next year would have been the 10-year anniversary, not this year. There are no “terms” at AP either – no one has a fixed number of years to serve in certain positions. This is either Harry choosing to leave or Harry being pushed out. Is it possible that Harry simply wanted to go and/or Harry already has so much on his plate? Sure. That’s possible. But it’s also possible that Harry just handed his brother a big win, not to mention handing the British media a big win – William has been incandescent with rage about African Parks for years, and his office has overseen a sustained campaign of harassment towards Harry alone regarding African Parks. Harry no longer has AP or Sentebale on his plate. Why is this happening? And why isn’t Harry fighting back?
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
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- 145602, Prince Harry seen at the South African Wildlife College in the Kruger National Park on day five of his tour of Lesotho and South Africa. South Africa – Wednesday December 2, 2015. South Africa. UK, FRANCE, AUS, NZ, CHINA, HONG KONG, TAIWAN, SPAIN & ITALY OUT Photograph: © i-Images, PacificCoastNews. Los Angeles Office: +1 310.822.0419 sales@pacificcoastnews.com FEE MUST BE AGREED PRIOR TO USAGE,Image: 532077431, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS, DIRECT SALES ONLY UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE IN CAPTION – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289, Model Release: no, Credit line: i-Images, PacificCoastNews / Avalon
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- Undated picture released by Kensington Palace of Prince Harry while he worked in Malawi with African Parks as part of an initiative involvoing moving 500 elephants over 350 kilometers across Malawi from Liwonde National Park and Majete Wildlife Reserve to Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve. Prince Harry says of the picture: “Marking one of the young males so that he is easily identifiable when the family group is released back into the bush and we can keep them together.The spraypaint disappears after a few days.”,Image: 504080096, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Photoshot – sales@photoshot.com London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: – / Avalon
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- Undated picture released by Kensington Palace of Prince Harry (right), while he worked in Malawi with African Parks as part of an initiative involving moving 500 elephants over 350 kilometers across Malawi from Liwonde National Park and Majete Wildlife Reserve to Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve. Prince Harry says of the picture: “Lawrence Munro and I met in South Africa last year and have been in contact since. We got him to give a fantastic brief to the Ranger students at Kruger on their graduation. He is now working with African Parks as their operations manager in Liwonde. He’s one of the best.”,Image: 504080225, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Photoshot – sales@photoshot.com London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: – / Avalon
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- 145597, Prince Harry seen at the South African Wildlife College in the Kruger National Park on day five of his tour of Lesotho and South Africa. Kruger National Park, South Africa – Wednesday, December 02, 2015. UK, FRANCE, AUS, NZ, CHINA, HONG KONG, TAIWAN, SPAIN & ITALY OUT,Image: 532076857, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS, DIRECT SALES ONLY UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE IN CAPTION – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289, Model Release: no, Credit line: i-Images, PacificCoastNews / Avalon
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- 145602, Prince Harry seen with anti-poaching tracker dogs at the South African Wildlife College in the Kruger National Park on day five of his tour of Lesotho and South Africa. South Africa – Wednesday December 2, 2015. South Africa. UK, FRANCE, AUS, NZ, CHINA, HONG KONG, TAIWAN, SPAIN & ITALY OUT,Image: 532077365, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS, DIRECT SALES ONLY UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE IN CAPTION – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289, Model Release: no, Credit line: i-Images, PacificCoastNews / Avalon
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- 145602, Prince Harry seen at the South African Wildlife College in the Kruger National Park on day five of his tour of Lesotho and South Africa. South Africa – Wednesday December 2, 2015. South Africa. UK, FRANCE, AUS, NZ, CHINA, HONG KONG, TAIWAN, SPAIN & ITALY OUT Photograph: © i-Images, PacificCoastNews. Los Angeles Office: +1 310.822.0419 sales@pacificcoastnews.com FEE MUST BE AGREED PRIOR TO USAGE,Image: 532077372, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS, DIRECT SALES ONLY UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE IN CAPTION – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289, Model Release: no, Credit line: i-Images, PacificCoastNews / Avalon
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- 145602, Prince Harry seen at the South African Wildlife College in the Kruger National Park on day five of his tour of Lesotho and South Africa. South Africa – Wednesday December 2, 2015. South Africa. UK, FRANCE, AUS, NZ, CHINA, HONG KONG, TAIWAN, SPAIN & ITALY OUT Photograph: © i-Images, PacificCoastNews. Los Angeles Office: +1 310.822.0419 sales@pacificcoastnews.com FEE MUST BE AGREED PRIOR TO USAGE,Image: 532077383, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS, DIRECT SALES ONLY UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE IN CAPTION – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289, Model Release: no, Credit line: i-Images, PacificCoastNews / Avalon
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- 145602, Prince Harry seen at the South African Wildlife College in the Kruger National Park on day five of his tour of Lesotho and South Africa. South Africa – Wednesday December 2, 2015. South Africa. UK, FRANCE, AUS, NZ, CHINA, HONG KONG, TAIWAN, SPAIN & ITALY OUT Photograph: © i-Images, PacificCoastNews. Los Angeles Office: +1 310.822.0419 sales@pacificcoastnews.com FEE MUST BE AGREED PRIOR TO USAGE,Image: 532077428, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS, DIRECT SALES ONLY UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE IN CAPTION – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289, Model Release: no, Credit line: i-Images, PacificCoastNews / Avalon
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- The Duke and Duchess of Sussex on day one of a tour of Africa the listed Nyanga township, to see the Justice Desk initiative,Image: 537900421, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR SEVEN DAYS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: – / Avalon
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- The Duke of Sussex beneath the Diana Tree in Huambo, Angola, on day five of the royal tour of Africa. The Duke is visiting the minefield where his late mother, the Princess of Wales, was photographed in 1997, which is now a busy street with schools, shops and houses.,Image: 538259020, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR SEVEN DAYS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: /Avalon
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- The Duke of Sussex walks on Princess Diana Street in Huambo, Angola, on day five of the royal tour of Africa. The Duke is visiting the minefield where his late mother, the Princess of Wales, was photographed in 1997, which is now a busy street with schools, shops and houses.,Image: 538259025, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR SEVEN DAYS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: /Avalon
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- The Duke of Sussex delivers a speech in front of the Diana Tree in Huambo, Angola, on day five of the royal tour of Africa. The Duke is visiting the minefield where his late mother, the Princess of Wales, was photographed in 1997, which is now a busy street with schools, shops and houses.,Image: 538259128, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR SEVEN DAYS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: – / Avalon
Scooter will neglect it
I have no idea what Harry/Meghan are up to but, in re PR and checkmate moves, they have completely bungled. Always late to respond to rumors like the silly Meghan movie role that Tina Brown dreamt of, no pushback just radio silence. Its like having an infected wound and letting it fester. Best case scenario, Harry/Meghan dont give a flying damn. But then, why is Harry stepping away from Africa as William has always wanted? Just all kinds of ugh..
Their public relations strategy always seems to be to let all the trolls from the British tabloids speculate, spread lies, or come up with far-fetched theories, and then make an announcement and make them look like liars. But the problem is that this strategy cannot be applied to every situation, especially when it comes to important decisions. You are choosing to return to the UK after everything you yourselves have said in documentaries and interviews. Whatever the reasons may be, make the first official statement yourselves to explain the reasons for the return, without having to go into detail. Because, yes, they are allowing everyone who dislikes them to create a narrative about the reasons for their return. Right now, the narrative being created is that they are hypocrites, desperate for attention, that they want to have their cake and eat it too, and that if they are coming back, then the harassment and racism they said they experienced were either lies or exaggerated in order to gain sympathy from the public.Because why would they return to a place they have spent the past six years describing as toxic and dangerous for their family? And it is working, because on social media, their past statements are resurfacing. This allows the tabloids and all the trolls to define the narrative for them. That narrative then becomes the dominant one, because even people who support them are starting to have doubts, and some are eventually turning against them. They really need to change their strategy, especially now that they are returning to the UK.
But those interpretations only work on a segment of people already conducive to not liking the Sussexes. I’ve seen the BM go around and interview people and the majority are happy to have the Sussexes come back. Are some going to believe the snark. Sure but those people were always ready to believe the snark.
Agree their comms is weak for the press machine they are up against. But two things can be true- the uk has a toxic press culture that caused Meghan to feel suicidal where she wasn’t getting any institutional support. People like ex times reporter Valentine low confirmed after Oprah he knew about Meghan’s HR conversation & state of distress in 2019. It’s very easy to pull up the horrific bigoted articles & commentary about Meghan & even their children. Articles and tv broadcasts about Meghan are some of the most complained about to regulators/press standards ever so the evidence is there. That same press just drove a Black man to suicide last week.
The press hasn’t and won’t change – Meghan has already indicated she knows she has to live with trolling for the rest of her days. But they aren’t in the same circumstances they were when they left the uk. and in line with what they set out six years ago about wanting to split time between the uk & North America, they are now wanting to spend more time in the uk after 6 years away.
Hi Sophiesta, cough I mean, SophieEster! (waves) You’re the one that as @Jais pointed out, declared just a day or two ago that you were DONE with the Sussexes! You were so OVER IT and were going to (checks notes) never comment again?
Quelle surprise, here you are…Pull up a chair, water’s fine!
Maybe Harry is trying to get away from any charity that has to answer to anything out of the UK. It’s Africa Park. So why should people in the UK have any say so in how it’s run? Maybe Harry is going to open some other charity. But it won’t have anything to do with the UK.
Strange timing for this to come out now…
It was a 10 year commitment. The 10 years are over. Nothing strange here.
Agreed – around 10 years is a long time in a non-profit board role. I suggest anyone ends their tenure on any board when you get around 9 – 10 years to make room for the next generation, new voices, new experiences. I cringe when I hear of people who stay on boards for 20 years.
I think at the end of the day, it is just so many organizations you can be an effective member of. I would like to believe Prince Harry is reserving his focus for the other organizations he is working with, God knows he is booked and busy.
I agree with this sensible take. Seems the Sussexes are consolidating and streamlining the way in which they engage with charities outside of their own foundation. In addition, it sounds as though the board has been moving towards more representation of Africans on the board, a move which Prince Harry would welcome, and which ought to at least mollify the group which has always been vocal about the number of non-Africans who sit on the boards of African wildlife and conservation charities and organisations.
There’s no way that he was “pushed out”. He was one of the most visible members of that board and brought them a lot of international attention.
It is sad that even “fans” of the Sussexes are now choosing to echo the narratives of the rabid UK media and see everything they do in terms of “wins” and “losses” against the leftover royals in the latter’s one-sided competition, when all the Sussexes have been doing is getting on with their lives, working, playing, socialising and supporting their charities as they have always done. Nothing’s changed. We could take a leaf out of their book and simply shut out the noise with which the clickbait industry is filling the void due to lack of access, especially about their move to the UK.
Spot on, Magdalena.
“Africa belongs to me, Harold. You disappear from Africa and you can come back. We can’t have royalty educated in The US. I’ll let you know about ‘The American’ when Dad drops off the twig.”
I wonder if he has something coming up that means he wouldn’t be able to commit to African Parks in the same way. Harry doesn’t strike me as the kind of person who is just named on letterhead, I imagine he’s involved in all his organizations and charities. So if he’s working on something else – like the veterans’ initiative he referenced last week – it may be a matter of just not having enough time and choosing to streamline his patronages/organizations etc.
This doesn’t seem like Sentebale to me, where that was just messy and public and nasty. This seems like a pretty professional parting of the ways. its the timing that seems suspect but we may soon find out something that makes it all make sense.
I do believe there is something upcoming that will be revealed in due time that would explain these moves.
The commitment to whatever it is that is coming up may impact the time he can be spend as Director.
I don’t see the big issue. Happens all the time.
with boards, people don’t stay on forever. there are term limits, so this could be it. i’m sure he will donate money to african orgs. one doesn’t have to be on a board in order to do that. much ado about nothing.
He has so many projects and reached the point where he have to make some choice. I heard that 10 years is usual in AF for high profile people. Before been named president, he did voluntary work for about a year in Malawi.
I would think that he wants to spend more time with his family as the children are growing up with new needs and develop new projects while in the UK.
The article says 10-year “association”, so that tracks, and Harry’s charitable interests have been focused elsewhere in the past several years.
FWhy does everything has to be framed in that if Harry isn’t fighting against his brother, Harry is the loser. Perhaps, Harry is curtailing his activities in Africa due to his new commercial business venture he alluded to in DC. He probably doesn’t have the time to travel to and from Africa for the board meetings. Its appears, that his charity effort for the next few years will be in the UK & Archwell Philanthropies.
Sonia, Harry never fought with his brother; he couldn’t care less about him—or, to put it bluntly, he couldn’t give a shit.
It is William who is obsessed with Harry and who is engaged in a one-sided rivalry with him—one in which he always crosses the finish line last—and that isn’t going to change.
I’m fated to always be the contrarian here, but this is good news. I hope it’s Harry resigning from the board of this organization. It is a neocolonial enterprise run by international oligarchs who want to grab as much land as possible to control African resources and set up tourist resorts for rich people all over the continent. As far as I’m concerned, William can have it. He’s the one with the colonial mindset and would fit right in. So, whether Harry was dumped or resigned, it’s a positive development I think. Now he won’t be implicated the next time very credible allegations of horrific human rights abuses are made.
And they seem to be trying to bring more Africans into the organization because they know they aren’t beating the allegations.
What you said. There’s a lot of things wrong with that organization and I never liked he was part of it. Probably wants nothing to do with it and if William wants to get involved in human rights abuses, let him.
I’m hoping Harry realized that AP is not what it seems to be. Its “fortress conservation” militarized approach can be replaced by local and national governments. In any case, he’s better off not being involved with them.
I’m with you on this, Brassy Rebel. It’s a good move. Colonialists gonna colonialize.
Great point and I absolutely agree.
I wonder if this is some sort of quid pro quo situation..honestly it makes no sense, especially since we don’t have an official explanation from team Sussex.
It says it is a board refresh and Harry has had a 10 year association with African parks. So it’s not just from when his presidency was. The uk charities governing body encourages refresh on charities boards and they have more African directors coming in under the refresh which I think is good and important given nature of the org and work it does and the neo colonialism charges it has faced. I’m not mad at this.
Also let’s not forget two years ago Harry and Meghan went to Nigeria and Archewell worked with local schools on a mental health program and to donate period products to a region in Nigeria. I hope we see Archewell philanthropies continue to support orgs and initiatives across the continent & I’m sure they will.
I don’t think we have to frame every story as “Harry sticks it to his brother and the media”. Ten years is a long time to be with any organization, charitable or not. As for why he might possibly decide not to give a detailed play-by-play of his decision, I think that’s also understandable. African Parks made a nice statement, and perhaps leaving on a positive note is preferable. We also know that no matter what he said, the BM are going to have a field day regardless
Looking back, Harry and Meghan have been in the process of streamlining for a while now. I have a feeling there are reasons.
Agreed. The streamlining and winding down of select projects has been underway for the past two years. Really ramped up about May-June of 2025. After Charles was hospitalized in March.
It sounds like African Parks is bringing more local people on to its board. I don’t think that’s a bad thing.
And nothing in the statement involves William at all?
If Harry’s about to launch his new commercial venture, I can understand his decision to leave African Parks. I would also like to think Harry’s just re-organising his professional life rather than with competing with William. It’s a bit unseemingly to see two white men from the aristo class fighting over who should have interests in Africa. Their ancestors are the cause of all of Africa’s problems including conservation.
I think Harry has enough in his plate.
I don’t view this as Harry being pushed out but him downsizing. He’s spoken about a new private enterprise he’s spearheading and about to debut. At this time Harry is the CIO of Better Up, a Archewell Producer, Head of IG, and involved with WellChild, Scotty’s Soldiers and various other military organizations on top of being a husband and father. That is A LOT.
Meghan paused podcasting and scaled down With Love, Meghan when her brand As Ever took off. She said it was because she couldn’t be a present parent and maintain the level of detail and quality she wanted for her projects while stretched in so many different directions. Meghan scaled down and I’m assuming Harry has the same motivation. Harry and Meghan both love to work and we are watching in real time as they manage their workaholic tendencies with their desire to be present parents.
The realistic reason would be that he can’t do everything and do it all well. Invictus is his priority. That has always been evident. Between that, WellChild and Scotty’s I think he has his plate pretty full. I don’t think everything has to be a battle. William is playing a one-sided game and Harry is living his life.
Also he was getting all the blame and negative press for every problem with African Parks. He doesn’t need this as just a board member. Especially when they’re undertaking such a visible move. Maybe he doesn’t have the bandwidth.Those who like the Sussexes are so enamored of their passion and energy and work ethic, but maybe he doesn’t have the mental bandwidth right now and can’t be effective with them. He served with them a long time and his life is very complicated right now.
Yes – one thing that I am finding with both derangers and Sussex fans is that people keep forgetting that these two are human beings who are not beholden to anyone but themselves and don’t owe us anything. There is a LOT of projection going on since they announced the move to the UK. They don’t actually owe any of us anything. Including an explanation for their life choices. My feeling is that Harry’s tenure ended and he is smart to move away from a problematic charity. And also – he has a LOT of other stuff going on. It’s probably as simple as that.
I think AP is also happy to see him go. His presence on the board was bringing extra scrutiny which they don’t want and can’t withstand.
Harry has parted ways with AP for reasons only he and they know. Let that fact remain and allow him to repatriate on his own terms. Social media wants to offer an explanation for every single move H&M make and this muddles the water more than anything the tabloids write.
As with most things in life, the simplest explanation is usually correct. His tenure with the organization went 10 years and now it’s over.
Just to add a comment on the math, since mentioned in article. 2017-2026 is a 10-year commitment, not 9, since it includes (almost) all of 2026. I did a 10-year board commitment once from 2001-10, with 2 meetings per year If it’s most of both the first year and the last year, that’s considered 10 years.
Serving on a charity board is not supposed to be a lifetime commitment. In my experience, two or three years is common. It’s a good idea to have fresh voices on boards, and most successful organizations find a good balance between stability and new blood. BTW, didn’t Harry announce in Washington last week that he is going to launch a commercial venture to help veterans? Harry is pretty busy: he has Better-Up, Travalyst, Archewell Productions and Archewell Philanthropies, Invictus to name the top commitments as these are the ones that probably involve Harry’s daily work life. As well, Harry’s conservation creds ar well established. He may decide to work with other orgs. Remember he just got two elephants named after Archie and Lili.
Why the quote marks around “concluded his tenure?” Normally that implies a “sure, Jan” quality. What side are you on?
Maybe Harry is looking to start another charity with Prince Seeiso for their mother’s memories? Or maybe he is getting very busy with Invictus but that will be in Birmingham 2027 and guess who went to Birmingham university in 1996 ?????? Prince Seeiso !
Every mundane move they make does not have to come with a press release and explanation. He/they ended his tenure with an organization he served for 10 years. The end.
It must be tiresome to be expected to defend and explain every single thing you do.