Prince Harry says Africa feels like his "second home" and discusses his late mother, Princess Diana, in a foreword for a new book. The Duke of Sussex, 41, has penned a short introduction for a new National Geographic book, Okavango and the Source of Life, by Steve Boyes, which is due to be published on 3 March.
The work contains 100 photos and detailed maps to highlight the work of the National Geographic Okavango Wilderness Project, which aims to protect the ecosystem in Botswana, home to the planet's largest population of elephants and other wild animals.
In the excerpt, which was shared with PEOPLE Magazine, Harry reflected on Princess Diana's famous landmine walk with the HALO trust in Angola in 1997, which he completed himself in 2019, and again last April. Harry called the Okavango Delta a "wilderness beyond comparison", writing: "This paradise has been my second home for more than 25 years, a place to escape and be enveloped by nature’s sheer magnificence."
He continued: "Back in 1997, in Huambo, Angola, just a few miles from one of the sources of the Okavango, my mother walked through a live minefield being cleared by the HALO Trust, a humanitarian land mine clearance charity. That famous walk was a turning point in the fight against these lethal devices." The Okavango Delta in northern Botswana is one of the world's largest inland delta systems, and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Prince Harry's love for Africa
Prince Harry has long held a special place for Africa in his heart, and has even called it a "second home". He first visited in 1997, shortly after the death of his mother, Princess Diana, when Prince Charles took him there to offer him time and space after the pain he'd gone through.
Since then, Harry has visited the continent multiple times, including Botswana for his third date with Meghan Markle in 2016, with the couple returning again in the summer of 2017. Harry even sourced a diamond from Botswana for Meghan's bespoke engagement ring, as well as diamonds from Diana's personal collection.
"Africa's in my heart, and Africa's in my soul," Harry said at an event in April 2024. "I first went there when I was 12, 13 years old, and after so many years, I wanted to give back to it because it had given me so much. The vast open space, the cultures, the community, the people, the wildlife, just the freedom was a huge piece of why I loved Africa so much."
Harry and Meghan's first royal tour abroad together in 2019 was to Africa, visiting Cape Town, Angola and Malawi, also with son Prince Archie. They brought a camera crew with them to film an ITV documentary with Tom Bradby, called Harry & Meghan: An African Journey.
Famously, Bradby asked Meghan how she was doing, with the Duchess responding that "not many people have asked if I'm ok". The interview took place shortly after her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry.
Harry's relationship with his family
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, stepped down as working royals in 2020, before moving to the US. The Duke last met with his father, King Charles, in person last September, after not seeing each other for 19 months. The pair sat down for a private tea at Clarence House, with the meeting lasting just 54 minutes.
The meeting had been "under consideration" for some time, HELLO! understands, and a window was left clear in both men's diaries, but neither side would be drawn in advance on whether it would happen.
Prince Harry is not in contact with his older brother, Prince William. The duo were last in the same room together in August 2024 for the funeral of their uncle, Lord Fellowes, but reportedly did not sit near to one another, or engage in conversation.
Okavango and the Source of Life is due to be published on 3 March and is available for pre-order now.