Prince Harry is stepping away from the board of African Parks nearly a decade after first partnering with the charity.
“The duke is proud of his 10 years with African Parks and fully supports the ongoing strengthening of its board,” a spokesperson for the Duke of Sussex said in a statement to Us on Monday, August 24. “His commitment to conservation in Africa continues, and he remains a supporter of African Parks’ mission.”
Harry, 41, first joined African Parks, a nonprofit conservation organization that manages national parks and protected areas across Africa in partnership with governments and local communities, in 2016.
In 2023, he was appointed to an elevated role on the board of directors after serving as president.
The charity’s governance code states that “trustees are usually expected to serve for a term of no more than three years, and may be reappointed for further terms, up to a maximum of nine years.”
Harry stayed on a few extra months to ensure a managed transition as the nonprofit sought to find a replacement trustee in accordance with accepted good practice.
Prince Harry STEFAN ROUSSEAU/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Although the charity continues to do important work, like community development and biodiversity conservation, it made headlines last year for acknowledging that some of its rangers had committed human rights abuses.
“We deeply regret the pain and suffering that these have caused to the victims,” African Parks said in a May 2025 statement. “Omnia’s process also highlighted several failures of our systems and processes that were insufficient for the level of responsibility given to us, particularly in the early years of our management of [Odzala-Kokoua National Park]. We are committed to addressing the shortcomings that have been identified. … The Board is confident that the institutional improvements implemented over the past five years, along with those planned for the coming months – incorporating valuable recommendations from Omnia – will mitigate risks in the future.”
Harry’s decision to step down comes as he prepares to move his family back to the U.K. after spending six years in Montecito, California.
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, stepped down from their responsibilities as senior working royals in 2020 and settled across the pond in Montecito, California, before deciding to move back to the United Kingdom. “It was never walking away, it was stepping back rather than stepping down. It was a really difficult environment as […]
News broke on Wednesday, August 19, that Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, would be relocating with their children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, following the couple’s royal exit in 2020.
The couple plan to keep their home in California and their vacation residence in Portugal while having non-royal property in Britain. Meghan, 45, is expected to continue leading her lifestyle brand, As Ever, from their international home. Harry, meanwhile, will be spending more time supporting U.K.-based charities and patronages.
“Harry is not as happy in the U.S. as he is in the U.K.,” a source previously told Us. “They aim to be somewhere outside of London, not in, like, the city proper. They are open to a new chapter.”
