Prince Harry to visit New York City

Prince Harry is to make a two-day visit to New York City where he will carry out a number of official engagements focusing on the British community, US veterans and young people. He will also take part in the Veuve Clicquot Manhattan Polo Classic match in support of American Friends of Sentebale, the US branch of Sentebale, the charity of which Prince Harry is Patron. The visit, the official parts of which will be supported by Her Majesty’s (HM) Consulate-General in New York, will last from Friday, 29th May to Saturday, 30th May.

On Friday, Prince Harry will go to the site of The World Trade Center to pay his respects to the memory of all those who died on 11th September 2001. Prince Harry will also visit the British Garden at Hanover Square, where he will name the square before attending a reception at which he will meet American and British families of some of those who died on 11th September.

Prince Harry will also visit the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Manhattan, where he will tour Prosthetics facilities and a Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder treatment clinic and meet veterans of current and former conflicts. The Prince will meet a number of veterans privately to hear their experiences.

At the invitation of the Consul-General, Prince Harry will also attend a private reception in support of British interests in the City.

On Saturday, Prince Harry will be joined by Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, who is co-Patron of the charity Sentebale, at a visit to the Harlem Children’s Zone, a school and centre that works with young people in Harlem. The Princes will jointly meet pupils and staff at the school to learn about the innovative ways in which they support young people.

Following this engagement, Prince Harry will participate in the Veuve Clicquot Manhattan Polo Classic, which this year is supporting American Friends of Sentebale. Sentebale was set up by Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso to help orphans and vulnerable children in Lesotho. The match will take place on Governors Island, and members of the public will have free access to watch. Prince Harry will meet American supporters of Sentebale at the event.

Sir Alan Collins, HM Consul-General in New York, said:

“Prince Harry’s visit will help reinforce the strong commercial, cultural and historical links that New York enjoys with the United Kingdom. Prince Harry is well known and respected in the United States of America for having deployed alongside US forces in Afghanistan, which adds additional poignancy to his visits to The World Trade Center site, the British Memorial Garden and the Veterans hospital.”

Kedge Martin, Chief Executive of Sentebale, said:

“Sentebale is delighted to have been selected as beneficiary of the 2009 Veuve Clicquot Manhattan Polo Classic. We are incredibly grateful for the support that this event will provide for our work on the ground in Lesotho helping the country’s most vulnerable and neglected children. Sentebale is the only charity in Lesotho working across the spectrum of orphans and vulnerable children with local community partners at a grass roots level. It aims to ensure long term sustainability and development in Lesotho.”