Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has resigned from the board of directors of African Parks, a wildlife conservation charity. A spokesperson for the Duke confirmed the resignation on Monday, stating that the move comes ahead of his planned return to the United Kingdom. This departure marks the second time in over a year that the Duke has exited an Africa-focused charitable organization.
The resignation follows a period of internal and external scrutiny for African Parks. Last year, the organization acknowledged that some of its rangers had committed human rights violations. Specifically, allegations were made that guards in the Republic of Congo’s Odzala-Kokoua National Park were involved in the beating, rape, and torture of members of the indigenous Baka people.
In May, the indigenous rights group Survival International publicly called for the Duke to step down from the board. The group’s director, Caroline Pearce, described his continued involvement as unacceptable following reports of ranger misconduct. Despite his resignation, a spokesperson stated the Duke remains a supporter of the charity’s mission and is "proud of his 10 years" with the organization, which included six years as president before joining the board in 2023.
The scale of the leadership change is highlighted by the Duke’s long-term involvement, spanning a full decade of service in both executive and advisory roles. The impact on the organization’s funding and visibility remains to be seen, as the Duke was a high-profile fundraiser, recently attending a benefit for the group in Scottsdale, Arizona. For the Baka people and other indigenous groups living within or near these conservation zones, the focus remains on whether leadership changes at the board level will lead to concrete changes in how rangers interact with local communities and whether reported abuses will cease.
This resignation follows a similar exit in March 2025, when the Duke stepped down from Sentebale, a charity he co-founded in Lesotho. That departure involved a legal dispute, including a defamation lawsuit filed by Sentebale against the Duke and another trustee. As of August 24, 2026, the Duke’s spokesperson has not provided a specific effective date for his departure from the African Parks board, though the move is linked to his upcoming transition back to the United Kingdom.