Prince Harry reveals he 'feels pressure' to give his children 'the future they deserves'

Prince Harry has revealed he ‘feels pressure’ to give children ‘the future they deserve’ in a heartfelt open letter about the global impact of the coronavirus pandemic and the extinction crisis.

The Duke of Sussex, 35, who is currently isolating in Tyler Perry’s $18 million mansion in Beverly Hills, shared the note with African Parks as it released its annual report.

In the letter, Prince Harry wrote: ‘Since becoming a father, I feel the pressure is even greater to ensure we can give our children the future they deserve, a future that hasn’t been taken from them, and a future full of possibility and opportunity.’

Despite stepping back from royal life at the end of March, the Duke has been permitted to continue to work with his patronages and charities like African Parks, which he became president of in 2017.

Prince Harry, 35, has revealed in an open letter how becoming a father has left him feeling ‘a pressure’ to ensure ‘we can give our children the future they deserve’

In the open letter, The Duke of Sussex shared his passion for ‘wild places and what they provide’ (pictured, visiting Botswana in 2019)

In the letter, which was shared online by royal reporter Omid Scobie, Prince Harry commented on his profound connection with the continent, writing: ‘I have always loved wild places….[and] been grateful for what wild places provide.

‘Since my first trip to Africa as a young boy, I knew I would keep returning to this continent if I could, for its wildlife, for its people, and for its vast expanse.’

He went on to urge readers to ‘not be paralysed’ by the challenges coming to light because of the coronavirus pandemic.

He also outlined the work African Parks has been doing to look after ‘some of Africa’s most embattled and vulnerable protected areas’.

The Duke of Sussex shared the note with African Parks as it released its annual report

He said these ‘are essential for the wellbeing of local communities and in safeguarding our global climate, but only if they are protected and functioning properly’.

Towards the end of the note, the royal explained: ‘Since becoming a father, I feel the pressure is even greater to ensure we can give our children the future they deserve, a future that hasn’t been taken from them, and a future full of possibility and opportunity.

‘I want us all to be able to tell our children that yes, we saw this coming, and with the determination and help from an extraordinary group of committed individuals, we did what was needed to restore essential ecosystems.’

Harry was appointed president of African Parks, an conservation NGO that manages national parks and protected areas, in December 2017.

The royal has long-held an affection for Africa, having visited shortly after his mother’s death, and he continues to visit every year (pictured, in 2008)

Prince Harry, who visits Africa every year, visited the he British Army’s partnership with African Parks in Malawi during his tour of the continent in 2019.

He has previously spoken about having a special affinity with Africa, the place he went ‘to get away from it all’ after the death of his mother Princess Diana, the place ‘where I feel more like myself than anywhere else in the world.’

He and Meghan Markle, 38, voiced their desires to live on the continent on ITV’s Harry & Meghan: An African Journey, which aired in October and charted the pair’s ten-day tour in South Africa.

During the documentary, which was filmed six months before the couple moved to California, Prince Harry said: ‘I don’t know where we could live in Africa at the moment. We’ve just come from Cape Town, that would be an amazing place for us to be able to to base ourselves, of course it would.

During their tour of Southern Africa in October 2019, Prince Harry and Meghan spoke of their desire to live on the continent

The couple are currently living in Tyler Perry’s $18 million mansion in Los Angeles, having stepped back from royal duty

‘But with all the problems that are going on there I just don’t see how we would be able to really make as much difference as we’d want to.’

Harry also revealed Africa will be the main focus of his and Meghan’s work in the future.

He said: ‘The rest of our lives, especially our life’s work will be predominantly focused on Africa, on conservation.

‘There are 19 Commonwealth countries across this continent, there’s a lot of things to be done, there’s a lot of problems here but there’s also huge potential for solutions.’

‘We are currently living through an extinction crisis’: Full letter from Prince Harry to African Parks

I have always been grateful for what wild places provide. Since my first trip to Africa as a young boy, I knew I would keep returning to this continent if I could, for its wildlife, for its people, and for its vast expanse. That is why I am so fortunate to have found African Parks and to have been asked to join them in 2017 as their President. I am hugely grateful for their clarity of purpose and am more motivated than ever to do all I can to advance the mission of protecting wild places, for wildlife, for people and for generations to come.

We are currently living through an extinction crisis, and now a global pandemic that has shaken us to our core and brought the world to a standstill. On the extinction crisis the science is clear: we have perhaps a decade to course correct before we lock in our fate. On this pandemic, while much is still unknown, some evidence suggests that the virus’ origins may be linked to our exploitation of nature. The gravity of these challenges is coming to light, but we must not be paralysed by them.

There are solutions that are actionable and that work, and the African Parks model is one of them. African Parks pioneered private-public partnerships as a mechanism for delivering resources and management expertise to some of Africa’s most embattled and vulnerable protected areas. These areas are essential for the well-being of local communities and in safeguarding our global climate, but only if they are protected and functioning properly.

From humble beginnings with just one 70,000 hectare park in 2003, African Parks today manages 17 parks in 11 countries, with over 13.3 million hectares under strong, effective and inclusive conservation management – and we are not stopping here. The parks stretch from rainforests to deserts, and in 2017 we began managing the first marine national park – Bazaruto Archipelago in Mozambique. Last March we found ourselves on the frontline of a devastating weather-related crisis when Cyclone Idai hit the coast. Homes were destroyed, people were displaced, there were cholera outbreaks, and lives were lost. But our Rangers were first in, transporting doctors and medical supplies and delivering food to those in need the most, even before international relief agencies could arrive. It was a stark reminder of how these parks are positioned and the role they play as anchors of stability, providing essential services during our most troubling times, including this global pandemic.

What I see in the African Parks model is exactly what conservation should be about – putting people at the heart of the solution. African Parks is ensuring that the protected areas under our management directly benefit surrounding communities through security, education, jobs, and investments made in local services and enterprises that can stimulate conservation-led economies. Conservation can only be sustained when people living closest to nature are invested in its preservation.

Since becoming a father, I feel the pressure is even greater to ensure we can give our children the future they deserve, a future that hasn’t been taken from them, and a future full of possibility and opportunity. I want us all to be able to tell our children that yes, we saw this coming, and with the determination and help from an extraordinary group of committed individuals, we did what was needed to restore these essential ecosystems.

To all of our African Parks community, stay safe, stay well. Thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,

Harry