Coldplay took to the stage at Kensington Palace last night, for Prince Harry’s concert to support his charity, Sentebale.
Headlining the event just a few days after their Glastonbury set, the four-piece band performed some of their newest and well-known tracks for the guests, including ‘Clocks’ and ‘Hymn for the Weekend’.
Proceeds from the night’s £79 tickets are going to Sentebale, which helps children and teenagers living with HIV in Lesotho, a small mountainous kingdom in southern Africa. Specifically, the money will assist the charity’s monthyl Saturday clubs, caregiver days and residential week-long camps at the newly opened Mamohato Children’s Centre, which features a Diana, Princess of Wales dining hall.
Other acts at the event hosted in Kensington Gardens included, Joss Stone, Laura Mvula, African-Norwegian duo Nico and Vinz, and George the Poet, and The Basotho Youth Choir.
The redhead Prince gave a short address at the concert, where he asked the 3,000 strong crowds to take some time to learn about the fight against HIV/AIDS, both abroad and in the UK.
“What we know is that HIV is a virus that thrives off silence and feeds on stigma. Every single one of us has a responsibility to educate ourselves. To do what we can to speak out and stamp out the silence, ignorance, and fear that the virus needs to win,” the Prince said.
Harry continued, “When people come together for a purpose we can achieve extraordinary things.”
It was just yesterday that Kensington Palace announced a new spate of projects for the 31-year-old relating to HIV/AIDS causes, including encouraging understanding about the conditions, and supporting leading figures in the research and treatment sectors.
#PrinceHarry @Sentebale pic.twitter.com/xn3Lj8mRW0
— Rebecca English (@RE_DailyMail) June 28, 2016
Prince Seeiso of Lesotho – the man with whom Harry set up the charity – also spoke to the crowds.
The Basotho Youth Choir is formed of youngsters aged 7-19. Yesterday, they were rehearsing with Sentebale Ambassador Joss Stone at the prestigious Brit School in London, when Prince Harry turned up unannounced.
Here, Harry met an old friend from Lesotho, Mutsu, a child who formed a bond during his time in the southern African country in 2005. Hugging him and rubbing his head Harry asked: “How are you? Are you well? Have you guys been having fun? London’s been looking after you?”
Mutsu, now 11, was delighted to see the Prince again, and gave him cards and presents from his homeland, including a small model of a traditional hut and a framed set of photographs of himself.
Happy with his gifts, Harry told him: “Oh sweet! Look at that. Look how small you were. Is the tree still there? Do you remember the little pear tree?” he referred to the tree the pair planted in 2006.
Notable guests in the crowd included London Mayor Sadiq Khan, Harry’s cousins, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Peter and Autumn Philips, Mike Tindall and Stephen Fry.
To end the evening the Prince joined Coldplay and the Basotho Youth Choir on stage for a singalong, as lead singer Chris Martin sat at the piano.
