Prince Harry joined Coldplay on stage this evening at Kensington Palace to close the Sentebale charity concert and called for more to be done to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
The first ever pop concert on the East Lawn was organised to help raise funds and awareness of the challenges faced by young people affected by HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. The fitting finale saw Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso, who founded Sentebale together in 2006, and a 12-strong choir from Lesotho, accompany Coldplay for their uplifting hit ‘Up&Up’.
Prince Harry introduced the British band for their 10-song set after a heartfelt speech to the crowd of 3,000 people. The Prince founded Sentebale – meaning ‘forget me not’ – in 2006 with Prince Seeiso after his 2004 gap year visit to Lesotho, where one in three children have lost a parent to AIDS related illness.
Earlier today Kensington Palace announced that Prince Harry will begin a new series of engagements and meetings designed to shine a spotlight on the ongoing need for action in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Building on his decade of experience in supporting young people with HIV in Lesotho through his charity Sentebale, The Prince is now determined to help his generation understand that the battle against the disease has not yet been won and still needs fighting. In July, Prince Harry will travel as Sentebale Patron to Durban, South Africa for the 2016 International AIDS Conference to meet leaders in the field and to speak to the assembled delegates.
Progress has been made in the last 20 years to reduce the number of new HIV infections globally and ensure people living with HIV access the treatment they deserve. But stigma, discrimination and a lack of education means HIV is still the number one cause of death in 10-19 year olds in Africa. Prince Seeiso had earlier explained how important the work of Sentebale is in his own country.
