Prince Harry Calls for Change During Fireside Chat in Lesotho for Sentebale

Mar. 15, 2025

Prince Harry in Maseru, Lesotho on Oct. 1, 2024.Photo:Brian Otieno/Getty

Brian Otieno/Getty

Prince Harryspoke from the heart beside a bonfire in Lesotho about how his youth charity Sentebale can make an even greater impact if leaders will listen.

Sentebaleannouncedon Sept. 27 that Prince Harry and his charity co-founder, Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, would “reconvene in Lesotho with local Sentebale leaders to showcase programs to philanthropists and corporate foundations” in early October. After Harry arrived, a statement shared to Prince Harry and Meghan’ssussex.comwebsite said a highlight of the night was a fireside chat, where Prince Harry participated in a discussion about Sentebale’s current landscape.

Prince Harry in Maseru, Lesotho on Oct. 1, 2024.Brian Otieno/Getty

Prince Seeiso and Prince Harry at a welcome event for Sentebale’s Mamohato Childre’s Centre in Maseru, Lesotho on Oct. 1, 2024.Brian Otieno/Getty

“This whole journey of Sentebale started from that element of [Harry] having come to the motherland — he’s now my younger brother Mohale, the warrior — but experiencing breathing the same air, eating the same food as the children…that inspired this dream to come to where we are now,” said Prince Seeiso, 58, according to theDaily Mail.

“But it is that deep felt need that we want, collectively, to make a difference in our lifetime, and not only in our lifetimes, but to leave a legacy and pass on the baton to the next generation — so that’s why we are going out in all different angles,” he added.

Prince Harry arrives at a welcome event at Mamohato Children’s Centre on Oct. 1 in Maseru, Lesotho.Brian Otieno/Getty

King Charles' son spent some of his 2004 gap year after Eton College in Lesotho, and co-founded the charity Sentebale with Prince Seeiso two years later in 2006. The organization works to support young people living with HIV/AIDS and navigating mental health challenges in both Lesotho and Botswana, and Prince Harry plays in theSentebale Polo Cup, its flagship fundraiser, each year.

The Duke of Sussex kicked off his solo trip to Lesotho with a private meeting with the King and Queen, who he joined on aLesotho-focused panelat the United Nations in New York City during his trip to Manhattan last week. A statement shared to sussex.com noted that Harry’s latest return to Lesotho “not only rekindled cherished connections from his childhood but also celebrated a remarkable milestone: the 200th anniversary of the nation” as the country commemorates its bicentennial.

Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso arrive at a welcome event at Sentebale’s Mamohato Children’s Centre on Oct. 1, 2024 in Maseru, Lesotho.Brian Otieno/Getty

Prince Harry then moved to meetings with the Prime Minister and a stop at the Mamohato Children’s Centre, where he joined the Sentebale team. The charity touches the lives of almost 80,000 children and young people each year, sussex.com said, and has worked to ensure over 90% of people living with HIV in Lesotho know their status and are connected to treatment.

The Duke of Sussex and Prince Seeiso participated in the fireside chat alongside Dr. Sophie Chandauka MBE, the Sentebale Board chair, Ntoli Moletsane, the Lesotho Country Director and K.T. Montshiwa, the Botswana Country Director.

DUMA FM radio host and Let Youth Lead advocate Botlhe Jane Kgosimore also moderated a conversation with four Let Youth Lead colleagues about their personal journeys.

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The Let Youth Lead program engages young people, their communities and other stakeholders in advocacy around health, education and social rights, and the group created a radio show on DUMA FM in Botswana to discuss issues affecting young people today.

“What I’ve learned in more than two decades is that the younger generation have solutions and if we continue to grow platforms and share their stories while also breaking stigmas, real change happens,” Prince Harry said at one point during the night, according to a statement from Sentebale.

“We are creating a force of young advocates, and once they are empowered to use their voices, the strength of their impact will be formidable. You guys sharing on the radio, you may never know how big your impact is, but if it changes the life of even one person, it’s worth it,” he said.

While speaking at the U.N. on Sept. 24, Prince Harry said the “beautiful mountain kingdom” of Lesotho “feels like a home away from home.”

He added that he and Prince Seeiso established Sentebale to honor their late mothers,Princess Dianaand Queen Mother ‘Mamohato Bereng Seeiso, symbolizing a pledge to “always advocate for the most vulnerable among us.”

source: people.com