Prince Harry, the beautiful ginger-haired Prince of Wales, arrived in the Caribbean to raise money for the Sentebale Foundation, a charity created by him to help the children of Lesotho, one of the poorest nations in the world. He wanted to go to Haiti as well, but he was somehow convinced that it was a tremendous security risk. How a trip to the earthquake-stricken, nearly-leveled island nation poses more of threat than sending the tall red-headed, pale-skinned Brit to war-torn Afghanistan is a mystery, but Harry agreed so he could get on with the fund-raising.
I'd donate to his charity, any day.
During the first annual Sentebale Polo Cup, Harry took a nasty spill, but turned it into an athletic-looking somersault and didn’t get injured. In 2001, his Prince Charles was hurt while playing polo, getting thrown off a horse, knocking him unconscious, and he somehow swallowed his tongue. Only the British get debilitating polo injuries. Like father, not so much like son.
After the fall, Harry appeared to throw a truly royal hissy fit, throwing his mallet to the ground and ripping off his helmet. He later explained that he wasn’t behaving like a spoiled child—something most of us expect from really rich people who suffer any sort of embarrassment—but he was upset at himself for the charity. The previous night, Harry had met a businessman who offered to donate $50,000 if he fell off his horse during the match. The man’s wife, according to Harry, “turned round and said ‘that’s a bit harsh, you should give him $100,000 of he stays on.’ And he agreed to seal the deal on that”. Our beloved hot Prince was “furious” with himself because he felt that he ‘lost’ $50,000 for his foundation. The businessman donated the full $100,000 anyway. Beyond that, the match was an immediate sell-out, and Harry hopes to make it an annual event.
Since he was there, His Royal Ginginess took part in a huge charity concert broadcast live across the Caribbean to raise money for relief in Haiti. While Barbados’ reigning Calypso King, Red Plastic Bag, performed for the enormous crowd, the third in line to the British throne made the Barbadians an offer they couldn’t refuse. He said that he would dance on stage in front of millions of viewers if they donated 5,000 Barbados dollars (about $2484) within 25 minutes.
They did.
And he honored his promise. Red’s got rhythm! Afterwards, however, he was heard to say, “There goes my credibility” (au contraire, Ginge), even as he himself made a donation—the amount of which he would not disclose—to the Haiti relief effort. Red’s got a soul!
The Prince also visited a hospital, endearing himself to the children there. He introduced himself to the children, shaking their little hands. He held babies. He talked to the nurses and volunteers. Then, one little girl in a crib who was unable to get up craned her neck to the side and shouted “It’s Harry! It’s Harry!”
I would probably have the same reaction.
He instantly went from ‘cute’ to ‘more adorable than a roomful of kittens’.
Of course, this brought about comparison to his mother. Harry and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho—who joined Harry onstage to dance—created Sentebale in memory of the late Princess Diana. When asked by a reporter about continuing his mother’s charitable work, he said, “I don’t know if I can follow in her footsteps…but I will always try to achieve what she achieved”.
Thankfully, rumored girlfriend Chelsy Davy was not with him. Hopefully, all of those engagement ring and royal wedding rumors are just that. I’ll be waiting for his call.