Prince Harry honors his late mother Princess Diana’s HIV work and says ‘Africa is in his soul’ as he jets into Miami for ‘intimate’ panel and charity polo match – after swerving livestream at $1,600-a-ticket event with Mindy Kaling

Prince Harry paid tribute to his late mother Princess Diana‘s HIV advocacy while opening up about his love of Africa during an under-the-radar appearance in Miami on Thursday night – amid expert claims that he is working with PRs to stage manage his public appearances and avoid any ‘gotcha’ moments. 

The 39-year-old Duke of Sussex spoke at an event hosted by his charity Sentebale in Miami Beach on Thursday night – however news of the appearance was not shared publicly until Friday afternoon. 

‘Africa’s in my heart, Africa’s in my soul,’ he said. ‘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 communities, the people, the wildlife, just the freedom was a huge piece of why I loved Africa so much. 

Prince Harry has made yet another very under-the-radar public appearance after quietly jetting into Miami to take part in a panel discussion and dinner for his charity Sentebale

The 39-year-old Duke of Sussex spoke at an event hosted by his charity Sentebale in Miami Beach on Thursday night

On Friday, Harry will take part in a charity polo match with his longtime friend Nacho Figueras (seen together in 2019). The match will be held in aid of Sentebale  

‘We called [our charity] Sentebale – in Lesotho, the local language, it means “forget me not” and it’s really focused on ensuring the younger generation are quite literally not forgotten.’

He went on to honor his mother’s work in Africa, explaining how it helped to shape his own charitable endeavors in the region – and his desire to launch Sentebale in the first place. 

‘My mother had a strong focus on HIV and AIDS but also of the younger generation because it’s their futures that are being stolen from them,’ he explained. 

‘And at the heart of Sentebale, what we’ve always believed is that every single young person should have a chance at a better future.’

As photos and video emerged from the event, it was revealed that Harry – who was not pictured with his wife Meghan Markle in Florida – is also due to take part in a charity polo match today, alongside his longtime friend Nacho Figueras. 

According to The Independent, longtime polo fanatic Harry will captain one of three teams taking part in the Royal Salute Polo Challenge, which is being held in aid of Sentebale, a charity he co-founded in 2016 to help vulnerable children in Lesotho, Botswana and Malawi, including those who are affected by extreme poverty and the HIV/Aids epidemic.

Harry’s participation in the polo match, which is being held at the Grand Champions Polo Club in Palm Beach, comes just one day after it was revealed that he is working on a new Netflix project that will focus on the glamorous world of professional polo. 

Meanwhile, wife Meghan is working on her own non-fiction series for the streaming giant, with which the couple have a five-year production deal that was signed in 2020 and is thought to be worth around $100 million. 

Meghan’s project will focus on lifestyle-centric topics like gardening and cooking in a move that will likely allow her to cross-promote her new brand American Riviera Orchard, while the Duke will delve into the ‘aesthetic and social’ world of polo, a sport that he has played since he was a child.

Nacho – known as the ‘David Beckham of polo’ – was present at the Thursday night event and was seen posing (left) with panelist Dr. Sophie Chandauka and Sentebale CEO Richard Miller

At the panel discussion, Harry (seen in Lesotho in 2006) opened up about his long-standing ties to Africa and his love for the region 

He also praised his late mother Princess Diana for the work that she did in Africa, both to help those affected by HIV and AIDS, and to protect the younger generations 

According to a statement released by Archewell on Thursday night, the show will ‘provide viewers with unprecedented access to the world of professional polo.’ 

They add: ‘Known primarily for its aesthetic and social scene, the series will pull the curtain back on the grit and passion of the sport, capturing players and all it takes to compete at the highest level.’ 

It is not known whether the Netflix cameras will be present at Harry’s polo match on Friday, however there filming is expected to take place at the US Open Polo Championships, which take place in Wellington, Florida, over the weekend. 

Before getting out onto the polo field however, Harry swapped his polo mallet for a microphone to participate in the Sentebale ‘Potential is Waiting’ panel discussion in Miami on Thursday evening. 

Harry appeared alongside the charity’s chair Dr. Sophie Chandauka, as well as Alix Lebec, the founder and CEO of an organization called Lebec, a company that aims to ‘reimagine how global capital markets can be a force for good’, Hector Mujica, the head of economic opportunity at Google.org, and Sam Bakhshandehpour, the CEO of José Andrés’ hotel group. 

The event, which does not appear to have been widely publicized, although there are some short clips from the panel being shared on social media, comes just days after Harry took part in another event, the $1,600-a-ticket BetterUp Uplift summit in San Francisco.  

Interestingly, while the majority of the event was broadcast to the world on the summit’s livestream event, Harry’s discussion with The Office star Mindy was not featured – and their talk was also not included on the event’s official agenda. 

Harry had previously been advertised as a speaker for the Uplift conference, but not the specific event – and so the only way of seeing him was to be present at the pricey two-day event. 

Experts told DailyMail.com that this may well have been part of a coordinated effort on the part of the Duke and his PR advisers at Archewell to manage photographs and videos from his public appearances – with any output being edited by Archewell or event organizers before being released.

His latest appearance seems to have been managed in much the same way, with limited photos and videos emerging from the panel discussion.

On Thursday, the Duke and Duchess’ foundation Archewell announced that the pair are working on two non-fiction projects for Netflix as part of their $100 million deal with the site 

Earlier this week, Harry took part in a discussion with The Office star Mindy Kaling at the 2024 BetterUp Uplift summit – however they talk was not part of the widely-publicized livestream  

According to a press release, the event played host to an ‘intimate group of U.S.-based philanthropists, entrepreneurs, and impact investors brought together by Sentebale and innovative finance and philanthropy firm Lebec to discuss solutions across the capital spectrum to meet the next generation in Southern Africa with possibility and action’.

Today Harry will endeavor to keep that cause going when he teams up with longtime polo player pal Nacho – who is known as the ‘David Beckham of polo’ – for their latest charity match. 

The event will see the duo going head-to-head as captains of opposing teams, with Harry leading one of three groups taking part in the competition, while Nacho will head up another. 

Nacho – who is an ambassador for Sentebale – was present at the event on Thursday night, where he was seen posing up with the charity’s CEO Richard Miller, as well as panelist Dr. Chandauka.

Although the polo player is not understood to have spoken on the panel, he will undoubtedly be given a role in Harry’s upcoming Netflix series about the world of polo – having played a major part in the Duke’s participation in the sport over the years.