Princes Harry and William Express Major 'Heart' in Lesotho

The Veuve Clicquot Polo Tournament returns to Governors Island on June 27th, 2010. 

Money raised from the match goes towards the American Friends Sentebale, which supports at-risk children in Lesotho, Africa.

Prince Harry. who founded the charity that honors his mother, after befriending the country and returning often after his first visit to Lesotho in 2004,  attended the Governors Island Veuve Clicquot Polo Tournament last year.

We were reminded of Governors Island polo, looking at these photos of Princes William and Harry in Lesotho yesterday. 

Looking almost as exuberant as winning at Governor’s Island, the brothers and Harry’s friend Prince Seeiso of Lesotho travelled three miles into the snowcapped mountains of the country to visit schools and orphanages at Semongkong at 8,000ft.

Prince Harry visiting schoolls and orphanages at Semongkong KesothoThe Daily Mail notes that the princes appeared as fully engaged with the local populations as their mother Princess Diana before them. Riding on horseback, the princes wore grey knitted blankets, like those worn by local Basotho herdsmen. 

The royal wishes on their blankets were all their own. 

Kingdom in the Sky

The only totally landlocked country in the world, Lesotho is called “The Kingdom in the Sky”.

1 in 4 children in Lesotho is infected with AIDS. Every day more than 100 children in Lesotho lose a parent. 1 in 3 adults are infected with AIDS in this country of 2 million people, many of them living in rugged, mountainous terrain, only accessible on foot or horseback. 

It was such a ride that Princes William and Harry took yesterday, on Prince William’s first visit to the country.

London’s Telegraph paints a dire picture of conditions in Lesotho, especially for the children.

Both princes played a game in which they revealed their dreams for the future with HIV-positive children in the Lesotho capital of Maseru. Harry said that he wanted to live in Africa and be a professional surfer, wildlife photographer and helicopter pilot. 

Harry’s starting to remind me of the young American Dan Eldon, although he’s hardly in the stormy streets of Somalia. The princes travelled to Cape Town today to support England’s World Cup efforts. 

In this CNN video, Prince Harry talks about his goals to help the people of Lesotho.  You can contribute to Sentebale via PayPal in the US. Read on about Prince Harry’s work in Lesotho.