Prince Harry jets off to South Africa without Meghan Markle as royals snub duke in London
Prince Harry is continuing his globe-trotting tour — sans wife Meghan Markle.
The Duke of Sussex, 40, touched down in South Africa Tuesday after a brief visit to his home soil earlier this week.
Harry later posed for a picture with Princess Senate Seeiso of Lesotho, 23, after the pair had lunch shortly after his arrival.
The father of two — whose wife and kids stayed back in Montecito, Calif., — is in South Africa to work on his charity, Sentebale.
Harry co-founded the youth-focused organization in 2006 with Prince Seeiso — Princess Senate Seeiso’s uncle.
“Had the pleasure of hosting the Duke of Sussex today for lunch,” the princess wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of her with the duke.
She later shared a video on her Instagram story of Harry speaking around a campfire about the work his charity is doing in the country.
“Inspiring and passionate conversations around the bonfire with my uncle Prince Seeiso and The Duke aka Mohale,” she wrote, adding, “Welcome back Ntate.”
“Ntate” is a Sesotho word that means “father” or “uncle.”
Harry is no stranger to South Africa, having spent two months there in 2004 at age 19.
The duke founded his charity, which translates to “forget me not,” to honor his late mother, Princess Diana, whose favorite flowers were forget-me-nots. The charity helps disadvantaged children.
Harry is expected to head to Lesotho “to witness Sentebale’s programs at work,” before heading to Johannesburg.
The exiled royal last visited South Africa in 2019 with his wife and their son, Prince Archie, 5, back when they were still working royals.
Harry’s trip comes just days after he visited London to attend a series of charity events, including his annual WellChild Awards on Monday night.
But despite being on home turf — and just less than an hour from his brother Prince William’s home — the duke did not meet up with any members of the royal family.
Palace sources claim that Queen Camilla urged King Charles to avoid meeting up with Harry to avoid unnecessary stress during his cancer battle, a friend of the royal’s told the Daily Beast.
Camilla also wants her husband to be fit enough to travel to Australia later this month — a trip he is preparing for by enjoying some downtime at his Scotland residence.
The monarch, 75, has only seen Harry once this year, when the duke flew to the UK in February after hearing of his father’s cancer diagnosis.
Prior to his quick London trip, Harry spent some time in New York City, where he joined Queen Masenate Mohato Seeiso of Lesotho at the United Nations on Sept. 24.
The trip, which was yet another solo venture for the duke, saw him discuss the work he’s done in South Africa.
“The beautiful mountain kingdom feels like a home away from home,” Harry said of Lesotho.
“I was struck by the strength and courage of your people amidst the immense challenges they faced, and particularly the children. Because of that experience, the people I met and what I was exposed to, two years later we created Sentebale.”
In addition to his charity work, Harry hosts an annual Sentebale Polo Cup through which he raises money for the organization.
