Prince Harry Meets Up With Another Royal Family During His First Stop in Africa
The Duke of Sussex spent time with some old friends in Lesotho on Oct. 1.
Prince Harry isn't the only royal working to make changes for young people in Lesotho. The Duke of Sussex, who arrived in the African country on Tuesday, Oct. 1, joined members of Lesotho's royal family as he kicked off a trip to highlight the work of his youth empowerment charity Sentebale.
Princess Senate Seeiso, 22, shared a photo of herself posing with the duke on her Instagram Story Tuesday, writing, "Had the pleasure of hosting the Duke of Sussex today for lunch."
According to her Instagram account, the princess—who looked stylish in a champagne-hued jumpsuit for their lunch meeting—is a June 2024 graduate of the University of Ottawa. She seems to hold many of the same values that the Duke of Sussex champions in his work with Sentebale, with the princess writing, "It is up to us, the youth of today, to be agents of social transformation and growth" in her recent graduation post.
Princess Senate also shared a video of herself sitting around a bonfire with Prince Harry and her uncle, Prince Seeiso, who co-founded Sentebale with Prince Harry nearly 20 years ago. "inspiring and passionate conversations around the bonfire with my uncle Prince Seeiso and The Duke aka Mohale 😄🥰 welcome back Ntate 🇱🇸," she wrote.
The meaning of "Ntate" has a sweet connotation in the Sesotho language, meaning father or uncle, but the term can also be used to refer to a male adult in a respectful way. Meanwhile, "Mohale" is the affectionate nickname Prince Harry was given by the Basotho people in Lesotho, which Prince Seeiso touched on in the announcement Sentebale made about the duke's trip.
"It fills me, the team, and our wider community with joy to welcome Prince Harry or Mohale—as we affectionately refer to him by his Sesotho royal name—which means 'warrior,'" he said in a statement.
Per the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's website, he was "warmly welcomed by The King and Queen in a private meeting" upon arriving in Lesotho, with the trip bringing back "cherished connections from his childhood."
The Duke of Sussex joined members of Lesotho's royal family and youth leaders for a fireside chat.
He first visited the country—which is celebrating its bicentennial this year—during his gap year in 2004, going on to form Sentebale with Prince Seeiso in 2006 with the aim of supporting vulnerable youth in Southern Africa.
During the fireside chat Princess Senate shared on Instagram, Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso spoke about Sentebale's commitment to children and young people. The duke shared that "stigma is being broken down in this country," but while he's seeing "a surge of energy and optimism" among kids as young as "six," he touched on changes that needed to be made.
"The biggest difference, of which really needs more work, is that people at the top start listening," he noted.
Prince Harry's trip will continue with a visit to South Africa, where he'll travel with Prince Seeiso to continue engagements surrounding Sentebale and how Southern African business leaders can help the area's young people.
