Prince Harry’s mini royal tour! Duke of Sussex announces he’ll travel to Singapore for a Sentebale polo match next month (and he’ll also take part in philanthropy summit in Tokyo)

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

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

This morning, the charity’s Instagram account – which boosts 28,900 followers – revealed details of this year’s event and the royal’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 – with no mention of the royal. 

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

Prince Harry and Nacho Figueras pictured at Sentebale’s annual charity polo match in 2021. The event took place in Aspen that year

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

‘The funds raised this year will support our Clubs and Camps programme, which provides intensive psychosocial support to young people living with HIV. 

‘In a time where 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 that they can break the cycle.

‘We are delighted to return to the renowned Singapore Polo Club in August, and are once again enormously grateful for the polo community and our sponsors, in particular ISPS Handa, for their ongoing commitment to Lesotho and Botswana’s youth.’

Prince Harry will head up the Royal Salute Sentebale Team while Argentinian player Nacho Figueras – who is also a Sentebale ambassador – will play for the Singapore Polo Club team. 

The organisation also announced that Prince Harry and Nacho will take part in a summit discussing the power of sport, community and philanthropy in Tokyo the day before the match.

They added: ‘Prior to travelling to Singapore, both will participate in a summit on the power of sport, community and philanthropy at the ISPS Sports Values Summit-Special Edition in Tokyo, Japan on the 9th August.’ 

The charity also posted images from last year’s event in Colorado – where Prince Harry scored an impressive five goals.  

The Duke of Sussex and Argentinian 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 Sun’s publisher and claim of ‘secret agreement’ between Buckingham Palace and the Press was thrown out by a judge.

Earlier this month, the Daily Mail exclusively revealed that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle wanted to ride back to the United States on Air Force One after the Queen’s funeral – but the request was denied 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 made together’.

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

‘The f***ing grifters. That’s the podcast we should have launched with them,’ he said. ‘I’ve got 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 his ‘personal commitment’ to Sentebale was as ‘strong as ever’ – despite having stepped down from his role as a senior working royal.

Prince Harry (pictured left, with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho in 2016) praised Sentebale for ‘stepping up during a deeply difficult year’ – and insisted his ‘personal commitment’ to the charity he co-founded 17 years ago ‘remains as strong as ever’

The Duke of Sussex  shared a joint statement with co-founder Prince Seeiso of Lesotho about the organisation as it released it’s annual report.

The duo said: ‘In the face of adversity, we both continue to be inspired by the resilience and adaptability of Lesotho and Botswana’s vibrant communities. 

‘We are proud of all that Sentebale has achieved, and our personal commitment remains as strong as ever.’ 

During the year ending in August 2021, Sentebale secured income of £3.13million, compared with £2.39million the previous year.

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

Earlier this month, it was revealed that Johnny Hornby – who was one of the charity’s shrewdest operators – was stepping down as a trustee after 11 years. 

His departure prompted Harry to pay tribute to his ‘leadership and vision’ and ‘dedication, partnership and friendship’. 

Describing Hornby’s commitment to the children and young people of southern Africa as ‘incredible’, Harry and the charity’s co-founder, Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, thanked him for enabling Sentebale to ‘deliver holistic support to thousands 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, no doubt about it. A smooth operator and a hard commercial man,’ one told the Daily Mail’s Diary Editor Richard Eden.

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

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

Yet his intimacy with the Sussexes didn’t preclude him from replicating a similarly warm friendship and professional relationship with someone very far removed from the couple’s circle – Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? presenter Jeremy Clarkson.

Sharing the high-octane broadcaster’s ambition and optimism, Hornby joined him in a brewing venture, Hawkstone, to produce a potent lager, as well as a pale ale and a cider.

Their partnership might have gone unremarked upon, had it not been for Clarkson’s decision to write an article, late last year, in which he pointed out that he hated Meghan on ‘a cellular level’ and added – seemingly inspired by a scene from Game of Thrones – that he wanted to see her paraded through the streets, naked, while people threw excrement at her.

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

It was then, it is said, that Hornby stepped in. ‘Johnny is friends with both Jeremy and Harry, so he was kind of in the middle of it all,’ one of Hornby’s allies said. ‘He suggested that it would be a good idea for Jeremy to apologise.’

Clarkson evidently took the hint and wrote a full and abject public apology.