Prince Harry has been to Africa many times than his elder brother for a number of reasons but this time around he’s coming for a different purpose that will see him spend a longer time than he has before.
Harry and Meghan are being lined up with a major international job by Buckingham Palace that could see them moving abroad to Africa, according to reports.
Prince Harry ’s advisers are working on a “bespoke” role for the “royal rock stars”, probably in Africa that will combine some work on behalf of the Commonwealth along with charity work and a role promoting Britain, the Sunday Times states.
The plan has been drawn up by Sir David Manning, the former British ambassador to the US and special adviser on constitutional and international affairs to William and Harry.
The new job would give Harry and Meghan the chance to enjoy a break from recent divisions in the royal household that has dogged their marriage while also giving them the opportunity to make use of their global appeal and popularity.
The paper adds the role could take the couple away from the UK for two to three years, though notes ‘discussions are at an early stage’.
The decision on where they would be based is unlikely to be taken until 2020 when they have settled down with their new baby, the paper said.
Harry has close links to several African countries and has visited the continent since his teens. He spent his gap year in Lesotho in 2004 and started a charity there two years later.
He and Meghan are believed to have fallen in love with the country that Harry referred to as “his second home” and where they returned for Meghan’s 36th birthday in 2017.
South Africa and Malawi are also being considered as options. Senior royal officials are keen to find a permanent role for Harry as Prince William starts preparing to be king.
They want to keep Harry and Meghan as part of the “royal firm” rather than letting them pursue their own projects such as a planned TV series on mental health with Oprah Winfrey.
The Africa project took shape after a proposal to make Harry governor-general or deputy governor-general of Australia or Canada was dismissed as impractical.
Palace insiders say a role was devised that would take them away from Britain for two or three years.
“Discussions are at an early stage but the plan is to find a new way of using their soft power abilities, most likely in Africa,” a source told the newspaper.
