Prince Harry seems to be hankering for his old life as a working royal following a busy few days of charity events, speeches and meetings with officials.
The Duke has appeared at ten solo engagements in the last 12 days without his wife Meghan as he embarked on a ‘quasi-royal tour’ across three countries.
The 40-year-old started the week in New York City for a host of charity events before jetting off to the UK on Monday and landing in Africa hours later.
Harry ‘showed his best side’ during his action packed solo trip, according to royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams, who added it could be a sign the ‘real’ Prince Harry is back at last.
Here maps out the Duke’s busy schedule in the last week, which also included a surprise appearance on Jimmy Fallon’s US talk show and a mystery tattoo parlour trip.
Harry kicked off his ‘quasi-royal tour’ last Friday by attending Kevin Costner ‘s One805Live! charity concert event at the actor’s oceanside estate in California
Harry taking part in the 14th Concordia Annual Summit in support of The Diana Award in New York last Monday
September 20 – One805 Live charity concert
Harry kicked off his ‘quasi-royal tour’ last Friday by attending Kevin Costner’s One805Live! charity concert event at the actor’s oceanside estate in California.
The Duke was joined by several A-listers, such as Jeff Bridges, Rob Lowe and Pink, who were in attendance to celebrate the heroism of first responders.
Although Harry’s wife Meghan, who also attended the same event last year, was reportedly ‘sick’ and therefore could not make it.
Harry, dressed in a navy blue suit and light blue shirt, addressed the crowd at the concert to present an award onstage to local helicopter pilot Loren Courtney near the start of the evening after he arrived at 7pm.
He told a joke about how they both felt more comfortable behind the controls of a helicopter than onstage.
Kevin Costner, pictured performing, became emotional as he reminisced about visiting the polo field, now the site of his One805Live!
Several A-listers, such as Rob Lowe (left) and Jeff Bridges (right) were in attendance to celebrate the heroism of first responders
Prince Harry honours a Santa Barbara helicopter pilot at Kevin Costner’s One805Live! event
September 22 – World Health Organization dinner
On Sunday the Duke attended a dinner organised by the World Health Organization (WHO) as he embarked on a busy few days of events in New York.
Harry was seen greeting Queen Mathilde of Belgium, actor Forest Whitaker, several UN Agency Heads, and other dignitaries, for the event to honour survivors of childhood violence.
Meghan was once again not with him at the gala, which was also attended by officials from countries such as Sweden, Colombia, Zimbabwe, Georgia, Canada, Iceland, and Brazil.
The event took place a week after Whitaker and Shudu Musida, along with survivors, penned an open letter demanding urgent action from world leaders to end violence against children.
Signatories of the letter included Harry, Mathilde, and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, who was seen conversing with the Duke of Sussex and actor at length during the event.
Prince Harry is seen greeting Queen Mathilde of Belgium during a high-level dinner on ‘Violence against children and its impact on mental health’ in New York City
Forrest Whittaker was present as well, and is seen here conversing with Prime Minister De Croo and the Duke of Sussex
Harry is seen her with the head of the World Health Organization Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, along with actor Whitaker and Queen Mathilde
The event organized by WHO, and was attended by politicians like Prime Minister Alexander De Croo of Belgium, seen beside Harry here
September 23 – Concordia Annual Summit
Harry then followed in his mother’s footsteps as he took part in the 14th Concordia Annual Summit in support of The Diana Award in New York last Monday.
The Duke appeared on stage and spoke of the importance of mental wellness at an event where participants talked about their climate anxiety.
He personally interviewed Chiara Riyanti Hutapea Zhang from Indonesia and Christina Williams from Jamaica, who received The Legacy Award in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales.
He told them: ‘I applaud you for having the confidence to be on this stage. I know my mother would be incredibly proud of you guys. Your activism is true to how my mother lived her life’.
Harry, wearing a navy suit and tie with a Diana Award pin on his lapel, asked: ‘Do you feel like leaders and people in positions of power are listening to you?’
He added that he wanted the The Diana Award to help their campaigning to tackle climate change and bring influence around the world.
Harry appeared on stage wearing a navy suit and tie with a Diana Award pin on his lapel
The Duke appeared on stage with CEO of the Diana Award Dr Tessy Ojo (right) along with two with Diana Award recipients
Harry interviewed Chiara Riyanti Hutapea Zhang from Indonesia and Christina Williams from Jamaica, who received The Legacy Award in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales
Later in the same evening Harry took to the stage once again for an event hosted by the Halo Trust, the charity which gained international prominence in 1997 after Princess Diana walked through an active minefield in Angola.
Harry was greeted by a rapturous round of applause as he delivered an eight minute speech in which spoke of the charity’s work which meant a ‘great deal’ to his late mother.
Wearing a navy suit with a Halo Trust pin on his lapel, he recalled following in his mother’s footsteps in 2019 when he visited Angola, 22 years after his mother.
Harry spoke of the many changes that he had gone through since his visit five years ago, including becoming a father for the second time with the birth of daughter Lilibet in 2021.
He said although you don’t need to have children to have a ‘stake in the future of our planet’, adding his mother would have been ‘horrified’ to know that anyone’s children or grandchildren live in a world still ‘infested with mines’.
In an apparent nod to Diana he issued a rallying cry to ‘finish the job’ as he said: ‘Tomorrow let’s wake up and get back to work, let’s renew our commitments and let’s finish the job for all our sakes.’
During the summit Harry also appeared at a private engagement with conservation group African Parks.
Prince Harry, 40, attends the Halo Trust’s anti-landmine event in New York last week
The Halo trust gained international prominence in 1997 after Princess Diana walked through an active minefield in Angola (pictured)
Prince Harry walks through a minefield during a visit to see the work of landmine clearance charity the Halo Trust, on day five of the royal tour of Africa in 2019
September 24 – Clinton Global Initiative
Harry continued on his busy schedule on Tuesday as he addressed the 2024 Clinton Global Initiative event, and warned of the ‘crisis’ faced by young people due to the online world.
Harry walked on to stage alone and went straight into a speech about the dangers of social media, and ‘the pervasive threat that our online world poses to us, especially our children’.
He then poked fun at the antics in his own youth, which prompted laughter in the audience.
In a moving speech he said that the lock screen on his phone has a picture of Archie and Lilibet. But he then shared pictures of children who have taken or lost their own lives due to the ‘harmful effects of social media’.
The Duke said: ‘These children and thousands more meant the world to their families. Their beautiful faces you see before you, their smiles, their dreams, all lost, all too soon, and all because of social media.’
Harry said they were the inspiration for why his Archewell Foundation launched the Parents Network, a support network for parents of children affected by online harm.
Harry said that through The Archewell Foundation Parents’ Network, his and Meghan’s charity, they will campaign for more to support families of children who have lost their lives to online abuse – and stop further tragedies.
Harry was serious as he spoke out about needing to protect children better from the online world
But he was all smiles when he joked about his own scrapes. ‘Kids may get into trouble. I know a thing or two about that’, he said
The Duke of Sussex looked solemn in front of photos of young people shown as images on mobile phone lock screens who had lost their lives due to social media
September 25 – United Nations Headquarters
On Wednesday Harry showed off his language skills by speaking Sesotho as he showcased his love for Lesotho at an event in the United Nations HQ in New York.
Speaking alongside members of Lesotho’s royal family, Harry told how his charity Sentebale’s name came from the country’s Sesotho language – meaning ‘Forget me not’.
He had begun by saying in English, ‘Your Majesty, ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests and friends’ – and then repeating the greeting in Sesotho: ‘Morena, basali le bahlomphehi, baeti ba hlomphehang le metsoalle.’
He recalled first visiting Lesotho during a gap year in 2024 between leaving Eton and starting at Sandhurst military academy, as he spoke alongside fellow delegates including the country’s King Letsie III and Queen Masenate Mohato Seeiso.
Then, in a later speech at Climate Week NYC, he spoke further about his concerns for young people as he helped mark the fifth anniversary of his not-for-profit organisation Travalyst.
He told the audience there: ‘I’ve seen first hand how travel and tourism can be a double-edged sword, both a force that has the potential to do tremendous good or, if mismanaged, inflict significant harm.
‘These experiences, as well as years of conversation and debate around campfires with experts that I’m proud to call friends, have shaped my understanding of the critical bond between people, wildlife, and the environment we share.’
He laid out stark figures about the climate change which have left him fearful for young people such as his own son and daughter Archie and Lilibet.
Harry said Travalyst and its partners represent a combined market value of almost $3trillion dollars, or £2.23 trillion. He added that it was committed to using the funds to ‘ensure that travel not only sustains communities but helps them thrive’.
On Wednesday Harry showed off his language skills by speaking Sesotho as he showcased his love for Lesotho at an event in the United Nations HQ in New York
Prince Harry spoke of his love for Lesotho – and addressing guests in both English and Sesotho – at an event held at the United Nations HQ in New York on September 24
He also addressed an audience about the ‘terrifying’ impact of climate change as he marked the fifth anniversary of his sustainable tourism organisation Travalyst
September 25 – Tattoo parlour
In a bizarre change of tone following his US publicity blitz, Harry was spotted at a celebrity New York City tattoo parlor at around 1pm on Wednesday and spent around an hour inside.
The Duke of Sussex dropped into East Side Ink in the city’s Lower East Side at around 1pm on Wednesday and spent around an hour inside.
It remains unclear what kind of ink – if any – the royal opted for. Staff at the shop were tight-lipped when questioned about his visit.
The royal pulled up in a black SUV flanked by members of his security team and the NYPD, images obtained by Page Six show.
The shop’s owner said the prince stayed at the shop, where sessions cost up to $350 an hour, until just after 2pm.
On Wednesday Harry spent an hour inside East Side Ink on the Lower East Side
Owner Josh Lord was tight-lipped about the royal’s visit out of respect for his privacy
September 26 – The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon
In another unlikely appearance, The Duke of Sussex appeared in a Halloween skit with Jimmy Fallon during an episode of The Tonight Show on Thursday.
Harry chose not take part in a typical interview, instead opting to become the first surprise guest to test a Halloween experience called Jimmy Fallon’s Tonightmares at the Rockefeller Centre in the Big Apple.
As he larks around with Fallon, the animated royal is heard screaming, ‘Jesus, f***!’ and cracking jokes about Michael Bublé.
The segment broadcast on US network NBC saw swear words bleeped out as Harry, who had a camera strapped to his chest, appeared jumpy while wandering through the maze.
Prince Harry and Jimmy Fallon took part in an unusual horror maze segment on US TV
The Duke’s participation on the programme was a far cry from other events he went to last week
US talk show host Jimmy Fallon and Prince Harry were all smiles before the maze
September 30 – WellChild Awards
Earlier this week Harry jetted off to the UK for whistle-stop trip as he turned out at the WellChild Awards in London to recognise some of Britain’s bravest children.
Harry swept into London’s Royal Lancaster Hotel to meet children, teenagers and their parents who will be recognised with awards from the charity.
As WellChild’s patron for more than 15 years, Harry has regularly attended the awards ceremony staged by the organisation, the national charity for seriously ill children and their families.
Harry did not appear to visit King Charles or Prince William during his brief trip, despite staying at a London hotel just two miles from Buckingham Palace and less than an hour’s drive from his brother’s home.
A spokesman for Harry declined to comment on whether any family meetings were planned. But understands that no such rapprochement has happened on this trip, his third to Britain since May.
The Duke of Sussex arrives at the WellChild Awards in London to recognise some of Britain’s bravest children
Jude Allen, 14, meets Prince Harry at the WellChild Awards 2024
Lewis Connett, 11, meets Prince Harry at the event on Monday
Prince Harry leaves the Royal Lancaster hotel in central London after the event
October 1 – Lesotho
Just hours after the awards, Harry again took to the skies as he kicked off his visit to Lesotho for his charity Sentebale.
Last night Harry reunited with his old friend, Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, and gave a passionate speech around a bonfire about the work of his charity, which supports children and young people living with, or who are at risk from, HIV.
Dressed in a white shirt, jeans and a dark jacket, the 40-year-old was also seen posing with his arm around the Princess of Lesotho Senate Seeiso in an image shared on Instagram.
‘Had a pleasure of hosting a lunch today,’ she wrote next to the picture, which was shared as a reel.
Prince Harry smiles with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho during an event in Maseru yesterday
Prince Harry was seen posing with his arm around Princess Senate Seeiso in an image shared by the African royal on Instagram
Prince Harry visits Sentebale’s Mamohato Children’s Centre in Maseru, Lesotho, yesterday
Prince Harry greets people at Sentebale’s Mamohato Children’s Centre in Lesotho yesterday
The royal travelled to Lesotho for a gathering of business leaders, philanthropists and local stakeholders, aimed at driving forward the work of his youth-focused charity.
His trip appears to mark another week away from his wife and their two children, who did not join the Duke in the UK either.
Harry first visited the country in 2004 during his gap year, before launching Sentebale in 2006 – when one in three children in the country had lost a parent to HIV AIDS-related illness.
The experience made a lasting impression on the young royal, who was then aged just 19.