Prince Harry Redirects His Share of Diana Fund Income From Sentebale to Elephant Conservation

Prince Harry has redirected his share of the income connected to the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund from Sentebale to Elephants Without Borders. His 2025 allocation of approximately £5,500 funded satellite-tracking collars for two elephants in Botswana, named Archie and Lili after his children.

The decision follows Harry’s departure from Sentebale, the charity he co-founded in 2006. He and Prince Seeiso resigned as patrons in March 2025 after an internal leadership dispute, and Sentebale later filed a defamation claim against Harry and former trustee Mark Dyer, which they deny. Expecting Harry to continue funding an organisation that is suing him would make little sense.

Instead, Harry selected Elephants Without Borders, a respected conservation organisation led by his longtime friend, biologist Dr Mike Chase. His relationship with Botswana and its wildlife stretches back decades, making this a thoughtful continuation of his charitable work rather than an abandonment of his mother’s legacy.

Figures in the Royal Foundation of the Prince and Princess of Wales’ annual accounts show Sentebale received £43,866 from the Diana Fund since 2020.

The charity’s final payment was £16,743, which was made in 2024.

However, the latest accounts show Harry’s share of the fund went elsewhere for the first time in 2025. His allocation that year was £5,432, which was donated to Elephants Without Borders.

The accounts state: “In accordance with a request by The Duke of Sussex, half of the net proceeds received by the Diana Fund since 18 December 2019 are being donated to a charity of The Duke’s choosing. In 2025 all funds will be donated to Elephants Without Borders.”

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Harry and Meghan’s Commitment to Botswana Goes Back Years

Harry’s connection to Botswana and elephant conservation is not new. He has described the country as a place that gave him comfort and purpose after Diana’s death. He has also worked with Elephants Without Borders and its founder, Dr Mike Chase, for years.

There is another family connection that makes the decision even more meaningful. Meghan narrated Disney’s Elephant documentary in 2020 in exchange for a contribution to Elephants Without Borders. Harry and Meghan also helped the organisation fit a satellite collar to a bull elephant during a 2017 visit to Botswana. Supporting this charity now continues an established relationship rather than creating a convenient new one.

It is also misleading to suggest that Harry personally removed money belonging to Sentebale. The Diana Memorial Fund closed in 2012, and the remaining income has been administered through the Royal Foundation. Under the arrangement, half of the net proceeds can go to a charity chosen by Harry. He previously selected Sentebale. He has now selected Elephants Without Borders.

Harry no longer holds a position at Sentebale, while his relationship with the organisation remains the subject of unresolved legal proceedings. Redirecting his charitable allocation was therefore a reasonable and unsurprising decision.

Given those circumstances, why would anyone expect Harry to continue directing his charitable allocation to an organisation with which he no longer has a working relationship and which is currently suing him?

That does not erase Sentebale’s important work or the needs of the young people it serves. However, leaving one organisation does not mean Harry must stop supporting other causes in southern Africa. Nor does Sentebale have a permanent entitlement to money that Harry has the authority to direct elsewhere.

The Sentebale dispute also requires more care than social media often allows. The Charity Commission found no evidence of widespread or systemic bullying, harassment, misogyny or misogynoir. However, it identified governance failures and criticised everyone involved for allowing the conflict to become a damaging public battle. Claims that either side has already been completely vindicated go beyond what the regulator found.

Final Thoughts

Nobody can know exactly which cause Diana would have chosen today. She cared deeply about people affected by HIV and AIDS, but her wider legacy also involved compassion, humanitarian action and challenging indifference. Protecting endangered wildlife and the communities living beside it does not betray that legacy.

Harry had the right to choose another beneficiary. He selected an organisation connected to a country and conservation cause that have mattered to him for decades. The money is now helping researchers protect two elephants named after his children. That is not a scandal. It is a thoughtful new chapter for a charitable legacy that was always meant to help others.