- Duke of Sussex is at ISPS Sports Values Summit ‘Special Edition’ in Tokyo today
- He will then travel to Singapore for fundraising Sentebale Polo Cup this Saturday
Prince Harry told an audience in Japan today that he would ‘happily live here if you’d have me’ during a summit on sport, community and philanthropy on his trip to Tokyo.
The Duke of Sussex smiled, laughed and gleefully waved to the crowd as he praised the ‘warmth, compassion and generosity’ of the ‘special’ Japanese culture.
Harry – who is without wife Meghan and children Archie, four, and Lilibet, two – was greeted with rapturous applause at the ISPS (International Sports Promotion Society) Sports Values Summit ‘Special Edition’ after saying: ‘Well, firstly, hello everybody.’
The beaming 38-year-old son of King Charles III told the crowd: ‘I’ve been involved in many charities for most of my life and I get a huge amount of fulfilment giving back to as many people as possible. My life is charity, always has been, always will be.’
Harry said he had enjoyed ‘the most incredible Kobe steak, both for dinner last night and lunch today’, adding: ‘Your warmth, your compassion, your generosity, every single element of the Japanese culture is really unique and very, very special.
‘I noticed it my first visit four years ago when I came for the Rugby World Cup. And I would happily live here if you’d have me. Thank you for your hospitality. I have really, really enjoyed being here in Japan again and I’m looking forward to my next visit.’
He also said that ‘the power of sport… brings people together and connects people, and, as you heard from my friend Steve (Royal Australian Navy Veteran and Invictus Games gold winner Steve James), really does have the ability to heal people as well.’
Harry will travel to Singapore later this week for his fundraising Sentebale Polo Cup on Saturday, which he has said will help young people affected by HIV/Aids.
It comes after friends of the Sussexes blasted claims of marriage ‘tensions’ amid speculation about their Hollywood future and rumoured strains behind the scenes.
Meanwhile, Buckingham Palace has quietly ditched his His Royal Highness title from the Royal Family’s website, and it emerged Netflix executives paid £3million for the film rights to a novel that the Sussexes will produce for the network.
Yesterday, Harry beamed while walking through Tokyo’s Haneda Airport among other passengers, wearing a dark cap bearing the Archewell Foundation logo.
Today, he took part in a summit panel discussion with former New Zealand rugby player Dan Carter, an ambassador for ISPS Handa which is sponsoring his polo cup.
Harry seemed delighted, acknowledging the crowd as he was welcomed on stage by ISPS Handa’s founder Haruhisa Handa – before roaring with laughter as they spoke.
The Duke was joined by his long-time friend, Argentinian polo player Nacho Figueras, who will be at the polo match and with whom he was pictured arriving yesterday.
Also present today were Sentebale chairwoman Sophie Chandauka and Professor Wim de Villiers, rector and vice-chancellor of South Africa’s Stellenbosch University.
In quotes reported by Omid Scobie, co-author of the controversial Harry and Meghan biography Finding Freedom, Harry said: ‘The lessons we learn on the field are the same principles of philanthropy: that a mission, hard work, dedication, and partnership can make even the impossible, possible.
‘Whether banded together in victory or showing up with respect in loss, no one ever crosses a finish line or scores a goal without the help and belief of others. That, to me, is the power of sport.’
Mr Scobie added that Figueras said: ‘It’s wonderful to be here in Japan on behalf of Sentebale taking the opportunity to talk about the power of polo, a sport I love, and how it serves as a platform to raise awareness for our work.
‘Next stop is Singapore, where we will be raising funds for Sentebale’s important work in southern Africa whilst enjoying a great afternoon of polo.’
Yesterday, upon his arrival at the airport, one reporter could be heard off camera asking Harry: ‘How do you like to be in Japan for the first time in four years?’ And he replied: ‘Good to see you again.’
A video broadcast on Japanese TV network ANN News showed 38-year-old Harry arriving at the terminal alongside Figueras.
Mr Scobie tweeted a video of the Duke’s arrival in Tokyo yesterday just after 1.30pm UK time.
He added: ‘Lots of fans waiting for Harry in arrivals. The Royal Family have always had a big following in Japan (especially Princess Diana) and interest in the Sussexes continues to be strong. Fun fact: Finding Freedom is one of the few royal books to get a full Japanese release!’
It is not known which flight Harry landed on, but there were several services arriving from Los Angeles in Tokyo yesterday afternoon – including the 5.25pm local time American Airlines flight, a 3.25pm United flight and a 2.20pm American Airlines flight.
One fan who waited all morning at the airport for the Duke told Japan’s Asahi News : ‘It was a pity we didn’t get to shake hands, but I was really touched.’
The royal fanatic said they had also been to England for Harry and Meghan’s wedding in 2018, and had seen Prince William at Haneda Airport on his visit in 2015.
They then weighed in on Harry stepping down as a senior royal, saying: ‘I thought it would be better for him [Harry] to be with the royal family… so I think that’s a difficult problem.’
This Saturday, Harry will stage the Sentebale Polo Cup in Singapore on Saturday, with the money raised used to support the organisation’s clubs and camps programme, which provides psychosocial support to young people living with HIV.
Speaking last month, Harry said: ‘The annual Polo Cup is essential to Sentebale’s vital work ensuring children and young people are healthy, resilient, and able to thrive.
‘The funds raised this year will support our clubs and camps programme, which provides intensive psychosocial support to young people living with HIV.
‘In a time where being HIV positive is no longer a death sentence, we are empowering young people to know their status, stay healthy, and eliminate the stigma so that they can break the cycle.’
Since 2010, the annual polo cup has raised more than £11million to support Sentebale’s work with children and young people affected by poverty, inequality and HIV/Aids in southern Africa.
The Duke will play on the Royal Salute Sentebale team, against the Singapore Polo Club team captained by the charity’s ambassador Mr Figueras.
Sentebale was founded by Harry and Lesotho’s Prince Seeiso in 2006 to help the most vulnerable children and young people in southern Africa receive support to lead healthy and productive lives.
It first began working in Leosotho before expanding its efforts into Botswana and operates in four key areas: strengthening the social and emotional wellbeing of those living with or affected by HIV; helping to provide access to health and social services; driving youth advocacy and building individuals’ skills and livelihoods.
Harry was last in Japan nearly four years ago in November 2019, attending the Rugby World Cup Final between England and South Africa in Yokohama.
He also spoke with Japan’s Crown Prince Akishino at the match, and met wheelchair rugby players at the Para Arena in Tokyo. He was still a working royal at the time.
Harry’s arrival in Japan follows claims that Netflix executives have paid £3million for the film rights to a romantic novel that the Sussexes will produce for the streaming service as part of their £80million deal.
Initial reports suggested the couple had personally stumped up the money for Carley Fortune’s The Meet Me At The Lake, which echoes their personal story and includes a character whose parent dies in a car crash.
However, an insider has now told Page Six it was Netflix itself that purchased the rights for them to produce a film adaptation under their Archewell Productions arm.
The source described the book as ‘right up their alley’ because they ‘love love stories and rom-coms’. The Sussexes famously wanted to tell their own ‘love story’ in their bombshell 2022 Netflix documentary ‘Harry & Meghan.’
The US-based outlet also reported that the couple have been restructuring their team following the departure of producer Ben Browning – former head of internal content at Archewell Productions and oversaw the documentary.
They have reportedly parted ways with Archewell’s senior vice-president of scripted television, Nishika Kumble, after less than two years in the role.
PR guru Mark Borkowski believes the financial backers of the Netflix adaptation overpaid because the Sussexes ‘have zero track record in drama or producing anything of consequence’.
Penguin Random House, the publisher of Harry’s global bestseller Spare, ‘probably’ helped do the deal because Penguin also put out Meet Me At The Lake, he said.
Author Carley Fortune, who is a big fan of Meghan’s, calls her book a ‘love letter to Toronto’ – where Meghan filmed hit series Suits. The duchess could have a personal connection with Ms Fortune, who worked as a journalist in the city for many years.
Mr Borkowski told MailOnline that he believes that the adaptation is a ‘playbook’ attempt by Harry and Meghan to resurrect their media careers after multiple deals collapsed and business interests flopped.
‘They are so far off the radar’, he said. Mr Borkowski added that the timing of the announcement, with lots of negativity around the couple, made him ‘suspect there is more to this than meets the eye’.
He said: ‘They need to do something. According to Tom Bower they fell out with the Beckhams. Harry was forced to cold shoulder Becks because of Meghan’s position on Victoria.
‘The rights for this could have cost up to £3million. Although, if it’s a best-seller, you wouldn’t be handing it to Harry and Meghan. There’s some amazing drama producers out there. Why would you give away a prize asset?’
MailOnline has asked Penguin Random House to comment.
The adaptation will be the Sussexes’ first attempt at producing a fiction hit as part of a multimillion-pound Netflix deal which is reportedly under threat.
The author of the novel is a fan of the Sussexes and has said she was left in tears watching their wedding in 2018.
Ms Fortune, a Canadian writer and journalist based in Toronto, woke up at 4am to watch the royal wedding at St George’s Chapel in Windsor as the Sussexes tied the knot in 2018.
After seeing the duchess in her wedding gown designed by Clare Waight Keller, she tweeted: ‘Meghan Markle is pulling up to the chapel and I am feeling very teary! Maybe it’s the 4am start.’
Meet Me At The Lake, her second novel, is set in Ontario and the city of Toronto.
It is said to have captured the Sussexes’ imaginations – perhaps due to Meghan’s connection to the Canadian city, which is where she lived when she was filming Suits.
An insider told the Sun: ‘The themes of the book gripped the couple and it was chosen for their first adaptation with Netflix.’
Although Ms Fortune has not yet commented on the reported deal, it is thought she will be pleased to have handed over the rights to the duke and duchess.
The author and mother-of-two has revealed she is a fan of Suits, and previously shared on Twitter that she was binge-watching the legal drama, which was Meghan’s big break in the entertainment industry.
Shortly before Harry and Meghan tied the knot, Fortune tweeted: ‘I’m binging my way through Suits. I felt a bit sheepish about it at first but I’ve decided to own my fandom. SUITS ROCKS, YOU GUYS! (I think that Meghan Markle is going places).’
Despite knowing that royal life was not ‘a world they wanted for their family’, as a friend has claimed, Harry and Meghan have faced some hard realities since they left to bring up their children away from the limelight of the Firm.
Having signed major multi-million pound deals with giants Netflix and Spotify, as well as Harry’s own book deal, they have since faced hurdles including the loss of the Spotify partnership.
Meghan hosted a series of her Archetype podcast on the platform, but it has not been renewed by the streaming service and the couple announced in June they had ‘mutually’ agreed to part ways.
They have also struggled to break into Hollywood, despite Meghan’s background as an actress in Suits.
Although their docuseries Harry and Meghan was watched extensively all over the world, experts say their brand is a tricky one to sell, due to the drama surrounding them raising clients’ expectations.
But Harry is currently working on a series based around the Invictus Games, which he set up as an opportunity for ex-service people to compete in sports in a similar way to the Paralympics or Commonwealth games. Heart of Invictus is expected to be released on Netflix later this year.
Last Wednesday, Harry and Meghan put on a united front in their garden as they appeared in a video about working with young people to improve the digital world.
The Duke and Duchess surprised US recipients of the first Responsible Technology Youth Power Fund (RTYPF) grants with phone calls to congratulate them.
Harry, 38, also mentioned their children Archie, four, and Lilibet, two, telling one winner in a call: ‘Thank you for doing everything that you do. Our kids especially are incredibly grateful.’ Meghan, 41, then added: ‘They don’t know it yet, but they will!’
It comes after the couple’s Spotify tie-up ended in June and concerns were raised over the future of their Netflix deal, while Harry’s green travel project Travalyst made a major announcement about a big revamp in May without mentioning him.
Also in June, a YouGov survey found Meghan’s popularity had sunk to -47, which is the lowest since polling her favourability began in 2017, while Harry’s fell to -36.
The couple are expected to attend the Invictus Games in Düsseldorf together next month for the events between September 9 and 16. It is not yet known whether the couple will visit the UK during their time abroad.
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