William and Harry are having a busy autumn, working in their own inimitable way on causes that are close to their heart. By Ingrid Seward
They are both exceedingly rich young men, yet neither of them is ostentatious. The trappings of wealth are not for them and they prefer motorbikes to Ferraris. They are, however, quite different characters – one is a sometime partygoer, the other a family man. One is happiest in the wilderness; the other is content to be at home. But both men are driven to succeed and try to make the world they inhabit a better place. And these royal brothers – Princes William and Harry – can bring global attention to anything they choose to do, especially when working together.
The public has never lost its appetite for seeing Will and Harry as a unit. It is now over 18 years since that sunny day in September 1997 when they walked behind their mother’s coffin as it was borne by gun carriage on its slow, heartbreaking journey to Westminster Abbey. The boys they were then are now men, but they will never forget that day and keep their mother’s memory alive by supporting causes in her name.
It is a powerful package. Six years ago they formed their own charity, The Royal Foundation, which was later joined by the Duchess of Cambridge, as an umbrella organisation for their causes.
‘We are incredibly lucky, Harry and I,’ William said in 2010. ‘We know that. Both our father and our mother instilled in us, from the word go, that with these great privileges goes an absolute responsibility to give back.
‘We are both massively excited at the prospect of being able to help in whatever way we can, where we can,’ Prince Harry added. ‘If we can use our position to do this, we are ready to.’
That was five years ago and since then the Princes have achieved a huge amount, especially in the area of conservation and armed forces’ veterans. The board of their Foundation is chaired by Lord Janvrin, previously a private secretary to the Queen; the Cambridges’ aide and advisor Sir David Manning (former British Ambassador to Washington) and Prince George’s godfather (and their former private secretary) Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton are trustees.
Among the projects Harry is working on are the next Invictus Games, to be held in Orlando in 2016, Walking with the Wounded and Help for Heroes, all of which have received global recognition. Prince Harry also has his own charity, Sentebale, set up in memory of his mother, which came into being in 2006 after he visited the small African nation of Lesotho and was moved by the plight of children orphaned by the AIDS pandemic that had devastated the country. Together with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, younger brother of King Letsie III, Harry wanted the charity to offer long-term support to help the children and young people of the country.
At the end of this month, when he returns to South Africa for an official visit, he will also go to Lesotho – as he does every year – to see for himself how things are progressing. This time he will officially open a complex built especially for the children – Mamohato Children’s Centre – that he has monitored personally from conception through to construction.
Any excuse to return to Africa is willingly accepted by Prince Harry, who fell in love with the place on his first visit with his father shortly after his mother’s death in 1997. Prince William is understandably envious, as he too loves that part of the world and can only sit back and watch as Harry has the time of his life travelling around. The brothers tease each other constantly and Harry has come in for a lot of ribbing since his return from his African summer sojourn, where he was learning about big game conservation (and sporting an edgy ginger beard).
Before leaving the Army, Harry was uncertain where his life was going, but it appears to be going well. Since his return from the African bush he has accompanied William on several official engagements. One of their joint outings saw them don hard hats and do a bit of manual labour, helping to renovate homes for armed forces’ veterans in Manchester for an episode of the BBC television series DIY SOS. Presenter Nick Knowles soon noticed how competitive the Princes were as filming began. They got stuck in straightaway, joking with each other, raising the spirits of all around them and posing with workmen so they could take ‘selfies’ on their phones.
‘They are cracking lads,’ said one of the veterans. ‘It makes me smile to see the bond they have, the banter and that competitive streak.’
As honorary president of England Rugby 2015 Harry was the figurehead for the eighth Rugby World Cup. He had to give a speech at the opening ceremony at Twickenham and managed to look as though he didn’t have a care in the world as he addressed the huge crowd, including his brother and sister-in-law, to say nothing of the global television audience.
‘In six weeks’ time, one team will take its place in history,’ Harry said. ‘It’s up to every one of us to raise the roof on each match in this unforgettable journey. The players have earned it, the nations deserve it and the fans expect it. We’re ready. Game on!’
A week later Harry, William and Kate were back at Twickenham for the England v Wales game. This time sibling rivalry took on a whole new meaning as the brothers lined up in different colours and sang opposing anthems, the Duke of Cambridge being vice patron of the Welsh Rugby Union. So when Wales won Harry’s face said it all and in contrast to William’s cheering he looked glum, which of course he was as his team had lost the historic clash.
It was a perfect backdrop for the royal brothers and yet another reminder of how well they do things together. Sadly their schedules are too busy for this to happen often, but while it lasted it was fun for them and fun for us.
Ingrid Seward is editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine and the author of The Queen’s Speech, recently published by Simon & Schuster, priced £20.
This article appears in the latest edition of Majesty magazine. To read more articles about the royal family, visit Majesty
The post ‘With great privileges goes an absolute responsibility to give back’ appeared first on Beyond Bespoke.