Prince Harry has arrived in Bridgetown, Barbados for a three-day visit during which he will carry out a number of official duties as well as playing a polo match in aid of his charity, Sentebale. Prince Seeiso, co-founder of the charity, is also expected to attend. Greeted at the airport by local dignitaries Harry later met the Governor General of Barbados, Sir Clifford Husbands.
During his stay Harry will visit the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, attend a children's party at the Barbados Museum and host a fundraising dinner in aid of Haiti. As he did during his official visit to New York City in May Harry will also spend part of his visit leading Sentebale's polo team in a fundraising charity match against a South African team at the Apes Hill Polo Club.
The Sentebale Polo Cup has been credited as the brainchild of Sentebale’s former chairman Charles Denton (although I wouldn't be surprised if Harry had a hand in it!) and though he's recently left the charity having completed its restructure a spokesman for Sentebale has said that it is their "firm intention" that the high profile (and very successful) fundraising polo matches will continue.
Earlier this week Jane Gordon spoke to Sentebale co-founder Prince Seeiso and other members of the charity about Prince Harry's work in the country and the progress his charity has made. She discovered that those his charity is seeking to help regard Harry with not only affection but also respect as Lesotho's "brave warrior".
Child welfare officer Malineo Motsepe (known to Harry as "Ma") who helped organise Prince Harry's visit to Lesotho in 2004 said, "We don’t call him Harry; here he is known as Mohale, which means brave man or warrior. He dared to come here and live with us and his concern and empathy for the disadvantaged children of our country has made a difference and will continue to make a difference."
Speaking about his friend Prince Harry, whom he calls "H", Prince Seesio gave this revealing insight; "Before I met him I had total sympathy for him because I am a second son as well. And being number two has an effect on you and the way people perceive you. I knew how it felt to be judged against someone who is squeaky clean, quiet, reserved and perfect. My brother, like H's brother William, ticked all the right boxes, and I ticked all the wrong boxes. Fortunately, we do not have an aggressive media in Lesotho because I am sure if we had there would have been stories about me rather like the ones printed about H."
Speaking of his reaction to the request that he show Harry in around Lesotho in 2004 Prince Seeiso said, "I was excited by the possibility that he could be part of something new here, and that if things were to develop Harry would have somebody in Africa that he could call a brother or a friend. But I also wanted him to experience Lesotho's beauty and to feel the warmth and the culture of the people and to not go away saying, 'This country is beyond hope', but instead to think, 'There are issues here but the people are resilient, hopeful and loving and I wish to make some impact or some contribution to ease their plight.'"
Sentebale's deputy country director Bahlakoana Manyanye said, "Harry is part of us – indirectly he is a Basotho. Traditionally, when a child is born into a family they will slaughter a sheep and give that child a name. Hopefully Prince Seeiso will soon do that for his honorary younger brother Mohale."