Throwback Thursday: Can’t Get Enough of Harry the Humanitarian

There are many sides to Prince Harry and Harry-plays-with-kids-in-Africa is definitely one of my favorites. We all know what happened yesterday, the day we learned that the dashing prince can rock a purple apron better than anyone, but the charitable royal has been doing good in Africa for years.

In an effort to test your ability to handle high swoon levels two days in a row, let’s throw it back to 2005, the year this amazing photo was taken..

I have no idea what is happening here and I do not even care – if this photo can’t make you smile, well then that makes me sad. What I do know is this was taken during one of his follow-up trips to the landlocked nation of Lesotho after his gap year to see first-hand the progress that was made with the British Red Cross Lesotho Fund.

Harry the Hippo

Last week, The Daily Mail broke the most adorable Harry story – a baby hippo in South Africa has been named after the equally cute prince! Harry the hippo was born March 22, 2012 at The Cango Wildlife Ranch in South Africa. Unfortunately, for the 11 pound pygmy hippo, his parents rejected him and he has been left in the care of the sanctuary staff. Fortunately for the staff, Harry is proving to be quite the bundle of joy, even cozying up to his caregivers. Since royal news has been slow lately, why not have some fun with this story? I present to you – “Similarities Between Harry the Hippo and Harry the Prince.”

1. Ladies’ Man

Miller & Maclean

Getty

How does the saying go – you’ve got to kiss a lot of hippos to find your prince? Above, Harry the hippo is seen licking his full-time caregiver, Toni Inggs, while Prince Harry gives a quick peck to Brazilian model Fernanda Motta. It is no secret that the 27-year-old British Royal has a way with women (case in point, the girl writing this blog post..), and his miniature friend has gone out and snagged himself a female caretaker. Touché little hippo.

2. The Royal Treatment

Miller and Maclean

Daily Mail

After his mother and father, Hilda and Herbert, could not fend for their offspring, Toni Inggs took over as the endangered hippo’s ‘mom.’ Young Harry has to be fed every three hours; the staff at the sanctuary has embraced him, caring for him around the clock. Born into royalty, Prince Harry grew up surrounded by people to care for him, including his nanny, Tiggy Legge-Bourke.

 3. Traumatic Childhood Experiences

Miller and Maclean

As mentioned above, after 210 days of pregnancy, Harry’s hippo mother rejected her son, leaving him without a mother. In 1997, Prince Harry tragically suffered through the untimely death of his mother, Princess Diana, after she was killed in a Paris car crash. In the past 15 years, Prince Harry has gone on to make his mother proud, even establishing a charity in her honor. The sanctuary staff knew just what they were doing in naming the baby hippo Harry, giving him a strong name will only help throughout his life. 

4. Africa

Miller and Maclean

People Magazine

Other than their admiration for Prince Harry, one of the reasons the team at Cango Wildlife Ranch bestowed the regal name upon the hippo was Harry’s love for Africa. During his gap year from school, the budding royal spent time on the continent and established his charity, Sentebale.

Harry the Hippo and Prince Harry..two of a kind. Now I think it’s time for the dashing prince to visit South Africa and meet his mate! What a photo opp that would be.. 

Sources: The Daily Mail, MSNBC, The Telegraph, People Magazine