‘Very curious’: New Prince Harry picture reveals ‘odd’ pattern
The Duke of Sussex has travelled to his third international destination in a week, with a new picture highlighting a growing problem.
There are some words I have to type with unusual regularity.
Montecito. Netflix. Bullying. Cancer. Adelaide plus Cottage. Vegan and oat and lattes. American Riviera Orchard. Alleged. Alleged again.
Such is the weary lot of the dedicated royal writer.
It’s about to get worse, thanks to Princes William and Harry, the Duke of Sussex – two men trapped in a very curious two-step routine, a situation highlighted by a new photo.
The younger royal, you see, is currently in Lesotho, the landlocked African nation that sits smack dab in the centre of South Africa and where, along with the nation’s Prince Seeiso, he founded their shared Sentebale charity in 2006.
Overnight on Wednesday, Princess Senate Seeiso shared a photo and videos with Harry, including the duo after a lunch and then another showing the duke having “inspiring and passionate conversations around the bonfire” with her uncle Prince Seeiso.
It’s the first time the duke has been in Lesotho since 2016 and the first time he’s been to South Africa since this time exactly five years ago, when he and wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex were off doing what no one, including them, knew would be their final royal tour.
So, Harry, South Africa, Harry, South Africa. That is, until early November, when William will arrive in the country.
Bets on how many times I’m going to type “South” and “Africa” in the next few weeks.
“New York” is another one.
First, William staged a high-profile trip last year for the United Nations’ Climate Week and spent time with Democrat royalty Michael Bloomberg.
Last week, Harry attempted to take his own bite out of the Big Apple and to re-up his philanthropic cred by taking part in the UN General Assembly’s Climate Week, spending time with Democrat royalty Bill and Hillary Clinton.
Are we seeing a pattern here yet?
What Wednesday’s new shot of the Duke of Sussex highlights is the global turf war quietly going on between him and the Prince of Wales.
But hold on, because we are just getting warmed up.
Last year, Harry and Meghan were in Germany for his Invictus Games. In June and July, William was in Germany three times to support the English football team in UEFA Cup finals.
Then there is Singapore.
In May 2023, William’s Earthshot Prize announced that year’s ceremony would be held in the Asian nation.
Three months later, in August, it was revealed that a charity polo match for Harry’s Sentebale would be held in Singapore, with the duke and bestie Nacho Figueras rolling into town not long after.
Next stop Jamaica.
The last royal tour that William and his other (many would say better) half Kate, the Princess of Wales undertook was to the Caribbean, including Jamaica.
In January this year, where did the Sussexes pop up but … Jamaica, in this instance for the debut of the Bob Marley biopic. Why precisely had they flown all the way from LA to Kingston, aside from the fact that Paramount boss Brian Robbins and his wife Tracy are reportedly friends of theirs? I have no idea, especially since the last time the Sussexes walked the red carpet at a film premiere was 2019.
What has become clear is how oddly William and Harry’s programs are mirroring one another. In the span of 14 months alone, of four major overseas destinations – New York, Singapore, South Africa and Germany – where one brother has visited, so too has the other brother not long after.
The odd overlap goes beyond their overseas travel, with their philanthropic patches also encroaching on one another.
One of the Prince of Wales’ biggest causes is the climate crisis, launching Earthshot in 2021.
Since then the prize, according to the Times, has raised $144 million either via direct investment or benefits in kind to support innovative solutions.
In 2019, Harry debuted his I-still-don’t-understand-what-it-does eco travel initiative Travelyst.
Earlier this year, the Sussexes together debuted their Parents Network to support mothers and fathers whose children have suffered online harms, with the pernicious effects of social media on kids having for several years been one of their tent pole issues.
Largely forgotten now is that in 2017, William spoke out about the negative effects of social media on young ‘uns and launched the first online cyber-bullying code of conduct. In 2022, he shared a personal tweet calling for greater internet safety for kids after the death of 14-year-old Molly Russell.
Then there is mental health, an area that the men, along with Kate, have been working on since 2016 when the trio launched Heads Together. To this day, both are still championing the issue.
In May 2021, Harry released the mental health documentary series The Me You Can’t See with Oprah Winfrey. In September 2021, Kensington Palace announced that William had made an Earthshot Prize documentary.
African conservation is another bit of shared territory. Harry is on the board of the now controversial African Parks (whose paid guards have been accused of torture and murder of indigenous peoples) and William is the patron of the Tusk Trust.
In September, Harry appeared at a fundraising event put on by Kevin Costner to support first responders. On Tuesday, William and footballing ace (and reported former Sussex friend) David Beckham launched two new air ambulances purchased by a fundraising campaign they had supported.
Anyone else a bit dizzy?
This mirroring of each other’s itineraries and work is all a bit weird. On one hand, both the prince and the duke have been involved with these select causes for years, if not decades, and thus their dedication and continued commitment is entirely legible and sensible.
On the other hand, you’d think that Harry especially, now that he is free to really sink his teeth into whatever causes he might fancy, would expand his charitable field of vision. The only other notable thing the Duke of Sussex has occasionally engaged with is misinformation, but it’s been years since he did anything of real note on this front.
The downside for both men here is that in trying to stake out and make headway on very similar ground, they are bound to be compared to one another.
Is one copying the other? Is this all entirely coincidental? Or is this just inevitable given that both William and Harry remain dutifully faithful to the campaigns they have both been fighting for eons now?
What seems clear is that both William and Harry are trying to increase their international footprint and amp up their reach. Anyone have any clever ideas about how we go about keeping score?
At least with Wednesday’s Princess Senate picture and videos, Harry got to enjoy standing shoulder to shoulder with another royal, a rarity now given that his own family seem to have zero inclination to see him.
Earlier this week, on Monday, the duke was in London, the third time he has been back this year during which he has not seen his father – or his father has not seen him, depending on your view.
Today, William lives minutes away from Windsor Castle and zips up by electric scooter to see his father; Harry had to fly all the way to Lesotho to find a prince willing to spend some quality time with him.
Daniela Elser is a writer, editor and a royal commentator with more than 15 years’ experience working with a number of Australia’s leading media titles
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