Prince Harry Shares His Fears for Son Archie's Future in Heartfelt Message

Prince Harry expressed his concerns over the world his and Meghan Markle's son Archie Harrison will grow up in while sharing his commitment to support global conversation efforts.

By emily belfiore Jun 11, 2020 7:13 PMTags
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Prince Harry is opening up. 

On Thursday, the Duke of Sussex showed his support for African Parks, a non-profit conservation organization, by writing the forward for its annual review. In his message, Harry, who serves as the president of the charity, shared his commitment towards creating a better future for his and wife Meghan Markle's 13-month-old son Archie Harrison, and the generations to come. 

"Since becoming a father, I feel the pressure is even greater to ensure we can give our children the future they deserve, a future that hasn't been taken from them, and a future full of possibility and opportunity," he wrote. "I want us all to be able to tell our children that yes, we saw this coming, and with the determination and help from an extraordinary group of committed individuals, we did what was needed to restore these essential ecosystems."

The dotting dad also touched on issues that have been causing strain on the planet, among them being the novel coronavirus. "We are currently living through an extinction crisis, and now a global pandemic that has shaken us to our core and brought the world to a standstill," Harry explained. "The gravity of these challenges is coming to light, but we must not be paralyzed by them."

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Praising African Park's conservation efforts, he added, "What I see in the African Parks model is exactly what conservation should be about – putting people at the heart of the solution. African Parks is ensuring that the protected areas under our management directly benefit surrounding communities through security, education, jobs, and investments made in local services and enterprises that can stimulate conservation-led economies. Conservation can only be sustained when people living closest to nature are invested in its preservation."

Last week, Meghan paid tribute to her and Harry's baby boy with a sweet gesture in collaboration with Mayhew, a U.K. animal welfare charity that she became patron of in January 2019. In the forward she wrote for the organization's annual review, she shared that she decided to sponsor a dog in Archie's name.

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"As an expression of my own commitment, I renewed my sponsorship of a dog kennel in the name of our son, Archie, to create an interim home for a pet in need," she wrote. "I hope you will show them your support in whatever ways you can. When you do, you will be contributing not just to animal welfare but to the shared welfare of us all."

Commending Mayhew's initiatives for protecting the animal community throughout the pandemic, Meghan added that the charity's foster program "is more important than ever, with more people unable to afford to care for their animals until they can get back on their feet." 

"In the wake of COVID, we are reminded that our need to take care of one another is a vital part of the human spirit," she said. "Mayhew has always understood this. Mayhew's work providing animal care and veterinary services to the pets of the homeless community and other at risk groups not only keeps the animals safe; it also makes people more resilient."