Prince Harry steps down from African wildlife charity board

What the report says

Prince Harry has stepped down from the board of African Parks, the wildlife charity where he had served in leadership roles for about a decade, according to a BBC Africa report. A spokesman confirmed he was leaving the board after previously serving as president for six years and joining the board of directors in 2023, while saying he still supports the organisation’s conservation work.

The move follows scrutiny of African Parks after the charity admitted last year that human rights abuses had been committed by its rangers in Congo-Brazzaville. BBC Africa said the organisation manages around 20 national parks and protected areas in 12 countries, and had been the subject of an independent human rights investigation linked to allegations involving guards at Odzala-Kokoua National Park. The charity said in 2025 that it had strengthened safeguarding measures.

African Parks thanked Prince Harry for helping draw global attention to biodiversity protection and for supporting conservation efforts in Africa. Its website says he was involved in the early stages of the 500 Elephants project, a major elephant relocation effort in Malawi. The departure comes as Harry and Meghan have also been in the news over plans to return to the UK, although BBC Africa did not link the board change directly to those plans.