Prince William and Harry sort of “grew up” with the children of Alex and Claire van Straubenzee. The van Straubenzees were close friends of Charles, not so much with Diana, but the two families had five boys (altogether) close in age and they always played together as kids. Henry van Straubenzee was killed in a car crash in 2002. Reportedly, Harry and William were both devastated by the loss of their childhood friend. Both princes worked closely with the family’s Henry van Straubenzee Memorial Fund, attending fundraisers and honoring their friend. Well, the van Straubenzees are now shuttering the memorial fund and the British papers are making it all about Harry and William.
A charity said to be one of the last bonds between Prince Harry and Prince William has called time on the organisation. It’s said the brothers were “united by tragedy” as the van Straubenzees, set up a fund for children in Uganda. The charity was set up in memory of the family’s middle son Henry, who was killed in a car crash in 2002 aged 18. The Henry van Staubenzee Memorial Fund (HvSMF) was set up in 2007 to fight poverty in Uganda through education and both the Waleses and the Sussexes were patrons. However, the only charity to have William and Harry’s joint patronage is now in the process of wrapping up. They have been patrons since 2009.
The Sunday Times reports the family’s decision to bring an end to their charity came after their final trip to the country in February, saying they felt they had put all the energy they could into it. Henry’s mum Claire said: “It feels right to quit while we’re ahead.”
According to the charity’s official website, it has been helping over 35,000 children in the country every year, with 51 schools having been supported. It initially started off as a one-off £3,000 donation. It’s said the van Staubenzee children – Thomas, Henry and Charlie, were like family to Harry and William after they all attended the Ludgrove prep school in Berkshire together. The princes even went on holiday to Cornwall with the family as youngsters.
Thomas, now 41, and Charlie, now 35, were both ushers at Harry’s wedding to Meghan Markle in 2018, with Charlie giving a speech at the wedding reception. Thomas also gave a speech at the 2011 wedding of William and Princess Kate.
Despite William and Harry having a strained relationship of late, the issued a joint statement in 2022 to mark the 20th anniversary of ‘Henner’s’ death. It’s thought that the statement was their last together and read at the time of “the van family who we all love and adore”. They called the family’s achievements “nothing short of extraordinary” and said “Henry’s legacy will live on through the incredible achievements of what his mum and dad have accomplished over the years”.
This just reminds me that Harry has been surrounded by death for most of his life – his friends dying, his comrades-in-arms dying, the death of his mother, the death of his grandparents. Anyway, it sounds like the family simply didn’t want to work on the fund anymore and I get that. I mean, they could have appointed people to take it over rather than shuttering the whole thing, but still. And surely this isn’t the only thing left with Harry and William as patrons? What about the Diana Award? I think there are a couple of other Diana-related charities they’re both involved with? As for the general vibe of “isn’t it sad that Harry and William’s connection has dissipated and dissolved over the years” – Harry is doing what he can to remove his violent brother’s toxicity from his life. That makes him a mental-health hero in my book.
The photos in this post are from the last “charity event” Harry and William did together – the unveiling of the Diana statue at Kensington Palace in 2021. In retrospect, it’s sort of amazing they were both able to keep it together throughout the unveiling.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.