Prince Harry, whose reputation is for being a hothead and the black sheep of the family, may be turning things around. In a three-day visit to Barbados this past weekend the Prince was seen cuddling babies in the children's ward of Queen Elizabeth hospital, playing polo for charity, and now he is planning a Haiti mission to help out there, as well.
Prince Harry plays polo to raise money for Sentebale
The Prince went to Barbados to play the inaugural Sentebale Cup match. His charity Sentebale had been in the news lately with its difficulties in getting funding and the resignation of its executive chairman, Charles Denton, after just one year. In 2008, the charity spent more on raising the money than it did on actually helping children in a country ravaged by AIDS, and the polo match was set up to try to fix that problem.
The event sold all its 1200 tickets. Prince Harry had received a pledge from a donor that if he could keep his seat atop the horse, the donor would give approximately £30,000. However, the horse slipped from under him and he fell, obviously frustrated that he'd lost the pledge. The donor gave the money regardless. (The horse, Prince Harry noted later, was unhurt.) Initial reports set the money raised for Sentebale at approximately £500,000.
Prince Harry dances for Haiti, promises a visit to Haiti later this year
At a fundraising concert for Haiti, Prince Harry told the audience that if they raised an additional $2,000, he'd get up and dance for them. They came through for Haiti, and he was videoed keeping his promise. At the hospital, he showed his mother's touch for children and expressed how much he had learned from his parents and his love for kids. In Lesotho, Harry has earned the name "Mohale," roughly translated to "warrior" or "hero," for his efforts.
The Prince had planned to go to Haiti in the next few days in order to give moral support and help out, but he has been persuaded to wait until rebuilding has begun and the situation is a little more stable.
To receive an email whenever Linda Gentile posts about the British Royal Family, please subscribe here, or follow UKRoyalsNews on Twitter, or both. Photo credit: Britain's Prince Harry holds Jean-Luc Jordan aged 7-weeks, with father Michael, looking on from left, at the Queen Elizabeth II Hospital in Bridgetown, Barbados, Saturday Jan. 30, 2010. (AP Photo/Arthur Edwards, PA)
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Uploaded by Youtube user: Prince Harry dances the Calypso
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