Prince Harry Was Just ‘Elevated’ to New Role — and His Updated Bio Nods to His Life as a Dad

Prince Harry has a new position for a cause close to his heart.

The Duke of Sussex, 39, has been appointed to the Board of Directors of the African Parks Network in South Africa. Prince Harry became involved with the non-profit conservation group that manages national parks across the continent in 2016 and became the group’s chairman the following year.

The change is noted in his biography for African Parks, although it remains unclear exactly when he began helping head the governing body.

“Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex is a humanitarian, military veteran, mental health advocate and environmentalist,” according to his biography page. “The Duke has dedicated his life’s work to advancing causes he is passionate about that bring about lasting change for people and places. For more than two decades, he has taken a deep personal interest in pioneering conservation projects across Africa that work to protect the region’s natural resources and wildlife, for the benefit of local communities.”

His bio now reads: “In 2023, after serving as president for six years, he was elevated to an officially appointed member of the Board of Directors, the organization’s governing body.”

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex watches an anti-poaching demonstration in Malawi in 2019.

Bazen/Samir Hussein/WireImage

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The background tells how Prince Harry first partnered with African Parks in July 2016 to help launch the 500 Elephant Project in Malawi, one of the largest and most significant elephant relocations in conservation history. The younger son of King Charles has since been closely involved and co-hosted US officials, conservationists and philanthropists on a tour of protected wildlife and nature reserves managed by African Parks in Zambia, Mozambique and Rwanda in August 2022.

While his previous biography focused on his work with the organization, the new biography ends on a personal note, mentioning that the Duke of Sussex lives in California with wife Meghan Markle, their son Prince Archie, 4, and daughter Princess Lilibet, 2. Harry and Meghan have moved to her home country after stepping down from their royal roles in 2020, shortly after Archie’s first trip to Africa during what will prove to be the family’s final royal tour before their transatlantic move.

Africa is a place close to Prince Harry’s heart — he even called it his “second home” — and he has visited the continent on many occasions since childhood. The Prince has made many public and private trips to Africa over the years, co-founding Sentebale in 2006 with Prince Seeisa of Lesotho. The charity supports children and youth affected by poverty, inequality, HIV/AIDS, and more recently, COVID, in Southern Africa.

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in Africa 2017. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex/Instagram

Africa has also become a special place for Harry and Meghan since their romance began seven years ago. The pair have traveled to Africa several times together, including a visit to Botswana at the start of their relationship in the summer of 2016 – after two consecutive dates in London.

Prince Harry later proposed with an engagement ring featuring an ethically sourced diamond from Botswana (surrounded by two smaller gems from Princess Diana’s personal collection), and the couple returned to Africa to celebrate Meghan’s 36th birthday in 2017, where they helped track elephants.

As seen in a snap shared on their now-defunct SussexRoyal Instagram account on World Elephant Day 2019, Harry and Meghan wore baseball caps and casual clothes as they helped put a tracking collar on the elephant. The couple traveled to help Dr Mike Chase of Elephants Without Borders, and other photos show Harry facing the elephant, food in hand, while Meghan gently holds the elephant’s trunk.

In 2021, the Duke of Sussex commissioned a re-release of the African Parks video “Hope Starts Here” for Earth Day and honored the legacy of his grandfather Prince Philip, a dedicated conservationist who had died a few weeks earlier aged 99.

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“As we now begin to move towards an era of global recovery and regeneration, it is critical that we continue to view strengthening and protecting biodiversity not only as a value we hold — but as a responsibility that is central to our way of life,” Prince Harry said in a statement. .

“On this Earth Day, I reflect on the generations of conservation champions, including my late grandfather, and feel proud and energized to continue doing my part in this legacy,” he continued. “Especially this year, I join the incredible African Parks team and communities around the world in a shared commitment to our environment and shared well-being.”

As Prince Harry celebrates his exalted role in African parks, his father King Charles and Queen Camilla are also traveling to the continent. The royal couple will begin an official state visit to Kenya on Tuesday, where Buckingham Palace said they will “acknowledge the more painful aspects of the UK’s and Kenya’s shared history”.

During his visit, the king, 74, will seek to deepen his understanding of the impact of colonialism and is supporting ongoing research into the historical links between slavery and Britain’s first family. A Buckingham Palace spokesperson tells PEOPLE: “This is a matter that His Majesty takes very seriously.”

King Charles and Queen Camilla on their coronation day on May 6.

Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

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Source: HIS Education