Prince Harry Makes Secret Trip Without Meghan and Kids to Visit His ‘Second Mom’ in Africa
On July 15, Prince Harry visited Angola to support the HALO Trust’s demining efforts. During the trip, he continued his mother, late Princess Diana's, legacy by retracing her iconic minefield walk to raise awareness about the dangers of active landmines. Three days after the meaningful visit, the Duke jetted off to the neighboring country of Botswana, once again without Meghan Markle and their two children. There, he reportedly spent time with his 'second family,' documentary makers Tania 'TJ' Jenkins and Mike Holding.
As per the Daily Mail, during his trip to Angola, Harry went 'off-grid' and was 'uncontactable' for three days. After winding up his work with the HALO Trust, he met with Jenkins and her husband, whom he sees as a 'second mother.' On this occasion, the Duke spent a full week away from Markle, Prince Archie, and Princess Lilibet. A source revealed, "He took some more time and space, and made the trip into a week-long visit to reconnect with old friends and get some headspace away from his phone and emails." They added, "It was a good moment for Harry to take some time away from everything, enjoying total peace of mind and being somewhere so remote that he couldn't even get emails or texts or calls."
Jenkins and Holding have played a pivotal role in Harry's life before he met Markle. They were also featured in Harry and Markle's Netflix documentary, as they spent time with the Duke in Botswana. As reported by Hello! magazine, Harry also revealed in his memoir, Spare, that he was drawn to his secret family's devotion to wildlife. He penned, "She and Mike were the first people ever to cherish whatever wildness was still inside me, whatever hadn't been lost to grief— and paps. They were outraged that others wanted to eliminate this last bit, that others were keen to put me into a cage." Of their time in Africa, he added, "'She [Jenkins] said: 'I think your body was born in Britain, but your soul was born here in Africa.'"
The Duke also shared that Jenkins and Holding meant so much to him that he flew Markle to Botswana to meet them just a month into their relationship. He spilled, "I called her [Jenkins] Mom all the time. It felt good. For both of us. Though I made a point, always, to call her Mom, rather than Mum. There was only one Mum." According to Town & Country magazine, in the memoir, Harry also thanked Jenkins and Holding, crediting them with helping jog memories and calling them his 'second family in Botswana.'
As for Harry’s trip to Angola, GB News reports that he delivered repeated instructions in Portuguese to help local children recognize and avoid landmines. It’s rare for the Duke to spend so much time away from his home in Montecito without Markle and their children. His solo trips abroad usually involve a quick turnaround, with Harry flying back within two or three days to reunite with his family.