Prince Harry has stepped down from the board of African Parks, the conservation charity he served for nearly a decade, as an independent investigation looks into 21 incidents involving allegations of killings, rapes, torture and arbitrary arrests against indigenous Baka people at Odzala-Kokoua National Park in the Republic of Congo.
Reports of violence carried out by guards employed by the environmental NGO in Congo first came to light in January 2024, following reporting by the Mail on Sunday and Germany's Tagesschau. African Parks admitted in May 2025 that members of its staff had committed abuses.
The law firm Omnia carried out an investigation into the allegations, but its detailed findings were not made public after the two sides agreed not to release them.
African Parks' statement
African Parks, which is headquartered in Johannesburg and manages 24 protected areas across 13 African countries, addressed the end of its working relationship with Harry in a statement. The organisation said the two sides had agreed together that, after ten years of service, the time had come for him to complete his official role as part of a normal renewal of the leadership.
African Parks added that Harry had not been removed from the board.
Duke of Sussex's response
A spokesperson for the Duke of Sussex said Harry was proud of the ten years he had spent with African Parks and that he fully supported the strengthening of the organisation's leadership.
The spokesperson also said his commitment to conservation in Africa remained unchanged and that he continued to support African Parks' mission.
Harry's decade with the charity
Harry, who moved to the United States in 2020 with his wife, Meghan Markle, and their children, served as president of African Parks from 2017 to 2023, when he moved to the board. According to the report, his family is planning to relocate to the United Kingdom in the coming period.
