Prince Harry has made a heartfelt gesture in honour of his late mother, Princess Diana, by redirecting a portion of his charitable donations to Elephants Without Borders. The move comes amid his ongoing commitment to conservation and his family’s values surrounding philanthropy, as well as the legacy of his mother’s charitable work.
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The donation marks a significant shift in how Prince Harry has chosen to allocate funds from The Diana Fund. Established in 1998 shortly after Princess Diana’s untimely passing, the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund originally collected legacies and donations to aid various charitable causes. Following the closure of the fund in 2012, The Diana Fund was created to continue this mission. Traditionally, the proceeds have been divided between Harry and his brother, Prince William, who have used the funds for causes close to their hearts.
Initially, Prince Harry directed his share of the donations to Sentebale, a charity he co-founded to help children affected by HIV/AIDS in southern Africa. However, in 2025, following a leadership dispute, Harry severed ties with the organisation and subsequently decided to allocate his portion of the Diana Fund to Elephants Without Borders, a group that works on wildlife conservation initiatives.
Dr Mike Chase, the founder of Elephants Without Borders, expressed his gratitude in an interview, calling the allocation of $7,369 a “tremendous honour.” He highlighted Prince Harry’s dedication to Botswana’s Okavango Delta and the commitment he has demonstrated over the years in supporting wildlife preservation efforts. Dr. Chase noted, “Harry has a very strong passion for the Okavango Delta, Botswana, its people, and its wildlife.”
The connection between Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, and Elephants Without Borders has roots dating back to 2017, when Harry introduced Meghan to the organisation by taking her to Botswana to assist with tagging elephants. This bond has deepened since their marriage, with Meghan contributing to the cause by narrating a Disney documentary titled *Elephant*, for which she donated her earnings to the charity.
In another nod to their shared commitment, Harry and Meghan have now involved their two children, Prince Archie, aged seven, and Princess Lilibet, aged five, in the conservation efforts. Following the donation, Elephants Without Borders honoured the children by naming two elephants after them—Archie and Lili. The young royals played a participatory role in their elephants’ conservation by choosing the colours of the satellite collars fitted to the animals; Archie selected blue while Lilibet opted for purple.
Dr. Chase elaborated on how this initiative serves to instil a sense of legacy in Harry and Meghan’s children. He remarked, “We wanted to pass on that legacy to the kids, in the hope that [Harry’s] passion for Okavango and Botswana would rub off on them, and to allow them to monitor the elephants in real time across the world.”
This recent effort strengthens the bond between the Duke of Sussex’s children and their grandmother, who passed away decades before they were born. Earlier this year, during a family visit to the UK, Harry and Meghan took Archie and Lilibet to Althorp, the childhood home of Diana. It is believed the family visited the site of her burial, and photographs captured moments of the family walking together across the estate’s grounds.
During the visit, the family laid flowers at Diana’s gravesite, reinforcing the connection between the children and their grandmother’s memory. In a recent public engagement, Harry also reflected on how his family commemorates Diana’s legacy. Speaking at Scotty’s Summer Festival in Warwickshire, he mentioned their unique family tradition of baking lemon drizzle cake to celebrate significant dates like Diana’s birthday and the anniversary of her death, illustrating the importance of maintaining cherished memories.
As Prince Harry continues to honour his late mother’s legacy through meaningful choices, his endeavours highlight a commitment to both family and global conservation efforts. The recent naming of elephants after his children signifies a hopeful continuation of Diana’s charitable spirit and a deeper involvement in causes that resonate with his family’s values.