Harry parts ways with African Parks after 10 years as fresh statement issued
Harry parts ways with African Parks after 10 years as fresh statement issued
Dorothy Reddin Mon, August 24, 2026 at 11:26 AM UTC
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| Source: GETTY
The Duke of Sussex has stepped down as a trustee of African Parks, his spokesman has confirmed.
Despite no longer being on the board, Prince Harry remains an active and avid supporter of the charity.
African Parks works to conserve Africa’s wildlife and remaining wild areas.
The spokesman told GB News: “The Duke is proud of his ten years with African Parks and fully supports the ongoing strengthening of its Board.
“His commitment to conservation in Africa continues, and he remains a supporter of African Parks’ mission.”
The Charity Governance Code states: “Trustees are usually expected to serve for a term of no more than three years, and may be reappointed for further terms, up to a maximum of nine years.”
Prince Harry was appointed to the Board of Directors of African Parks in October 2023.
Before joining the board, he served as the organisation's President for six years, starting in December 2017.
His overall association with the non-profit first began in July 2016 when he volunteered for an elephant translocation project in Malawi.
In a statement, Vas Narasimhan, the Chairman of the African Parks Board, said: “We extend our thanks to all the members of the Board who generously volunteer their time in support of our conservation mission - and particularly to The Duke of Sussex, for a decade of committed service to African Parks.”
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Last year, the charity issued a statement admitting that some of its rangers carried out human rights abuses against the Baka community in Odzala-Kokoua National Park, Republic of Congo.
An investigation began in 2023 following allegations, with law firm Omnia Strategy LLP hired to conduct an independent investigation. The investigation found that some human rights abuses had occurred, with Omnia giving the charity advice after it found that there were “several failures” of its systems and processes.
Prince Harry | Source: KENSINGTON PALACE
The charity welcomed the recommendations and vowed to make changes. It also said that staff members involved in incidents would have action taken against them.
In their statement last year, African Parks said: “Specifically, in Odzala, we will take action against staff members implicated in previously unknown incidents or those that had not been adequately dealt with, where sufficient evidence is available.
“African Parks will define a bespoke framework that will guide provision of remedy in case of human rights breaches. To better understand the risks associated with management of the park, we will run a second human rights impact assessment as a follow up to the study done in 2021.
“At an institutional level, we have established an Independent Panel of eminent African judges and human rights specialists who will be responsible for handling all cases of serious grievances.
Prince Harry | Source: GETTY
“This panel will also provide oversight of the overall grievance and redress mechanism and advise the Board on human rights matters.
“We are committed to ensuring a full understanding of human rights risks across all parks, having already conducted assessments in six areas we manage, with plans to complete the remaining areas by next year.
“We are embedding safeguards across all our operations, through improved policies and procedures including updating our Code of Conduct and Human Rights Statement of Principles.”
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