Overview
- Royal Foundation accounts show that in 2025 Prince Harry asked that his share of the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund — £5,432 that year — be donated to Elephants Without Borders and those funds were used to fit satellite-tracking collars to two Okavango Delta elephants named Archie and Lili.
- For years Harry directed his half of the memorial fund to Sentebale, which received £43,866 from the fund between 2020 and 2024 with a final payment of £16,743 in 2024.
- The shift follows a public breakdown at Sentebale in March 2025 that saw Harry and several trustees resign and led to Sentebale’s defamation claim accusing him of an ‘adverse media campaign’; the Charity Commission later criticised all parties for handling the dispute in public while finding no evidence of systemic bullying.
- Elephants Without Borders and its founder Dr Mike Chase have publicly acknowledged the gift and said the collars allow real-time tracking of the elephants; Harry and Meghan have longstanding personal links to the group, including Meghan’s prior donation of a narration fee.
- The change highlights governance and reputational stakes for charities that share donors with high-profile founders, and it leaves open practical questions about Sentebale’s funding, the outcome of the defamation suit, and how the Royal Foundation will manage future legacy distributions.