Being a Royal, of course, Prince Harry has been well-groomed and exposed to travel from a young age. The Duke of Sussex is a global citizen and is known for his courage and valiant spirit.
Born and raised in the UK, the Prince has followed in his mother’s footsteps and been a champion for the poor and a voice for the marginalised with his charity work all around the globe.
He moved his family to the US in Southern California in 2020 as part of efforts to protect his wife and children from the institution. According to the Prince, the toxic dynamic in the institution was the catalyse for their departure.
Here are some of the Prince’s favourite places in the world. The Prince loved some of these places so much that he was willing to move there.
California, USA
In January 2020, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced their decision to step back from royal duties and move to North America.
Apparently, The Prince’s late mother, Princess Diana, was a huge fan of the USA. It was reported that she had considered moving abroad to North America in the year following her divorce from Prince Charles and was in the process of purchasing a home in Malibu before her death.
It would seem that Harry may have been influenced by the link to his mother to take his family to the US, as The Sussexes have bought their very first home together in Santa Barbara, just one hour away from Malibu. Also, it’s important to note that his wife was born in California.
New Zealand
In 2018, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle toured New Zealand, Toga, Fiji and Australia. It seems that the couple loved the region so much that when considering places to move to, the South Pacific country was at the top of the list.
According to The Queen’s representative in New Zealand, Governor-General Patsy Reddy said Prince Harry and Meghan discussed moving to New Zealand during their 2018 visit, more than a year before the couple stepped back from royal duties and moved to the US.
South Africa
The Prince visited South Africa in 2013 and 2015. In 2013, he attended a gala dinner in Johannesburg for his foundation, Sentebele. In 2015, he visited Cape Town, where he met with Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and presented the Order of the Companions of Honour to the Archbishop on behalf of the Queen.
He also visited the Kruger National Park and Southern African Wildlife College and returned with his wife and son in 2019.
During a widely watched interview with Oprah Winfrey near the couple’s California home in 2021, Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, mentioned they’d offered to the royal family to take a step back from royal life in a Commonwealth country such as South Africa or New Zealand. Apparently, they considered New Zealand at first before settling on South Africa. However, someone leaked the plan to the Times of London, and they ended up moving to the States.
Canada
Besides the fact that the love of his life lived in Canada, the Prince and his wife had considered moving to Canada. Prince Harry’s history with Canada starts as early as 1991 when he visited the country with his family: Prince Charles, Princess Diana, and Prince William.
After talks of South Africa were dashed, the couple reconsidered the idea of moving again, and this time, to Canada. According to Vogue, Harry called his father up from a rented house on Vancouver Island, where they were spending Christmas, to talk about it in December 2019. The former Prince of Wales, he explains, asked him to put the idea in writing, and five days later, it was on the front page of a newspaper.
Lesotho and Botswana
Prince Harry’s love for Lesotho and Botswana is undeniable. In 2004, he visited on a two-month working trip to raise awareness about Aids, drought, and poverty. He was hosted by Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, and his stay in Lesotho would lead to him co-founding the charitable organisation Sentebale along with Prince Seeiso.
In a 2017 interview with BBC, Prince Harry said one of the first times he and his wife were "truly alone" was during an overnight wildlife stay in Botswana. He said this trip was also his and Markle's third date.
"I managed to persuade her to come and join me in Botswana. We camped out with each other under the stars. Then we were really by ourselves, which was crucial to me to make sure that we had a chance to get to know each other," Prince Harry said in the interview.
Sentebele, the Princes’ charity, does work in Botswana and Lesotho.