Prince Harry has called for “people from the top” to “start listening” during his solo trip to South Africa without his wife, Meghan Markle.

The Duke of Sussex, 40, reunited with his old friend, Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, and gave a passionate speech around a bonfire about the work his Sentebale charity has been doing.

Sentebale supports young people living with, or who are at risk from, HIV.

Prince Harry said: “We’re hitting the targets, not just Sentebale but all of the departments are, and it’s making a massive difference, and it is this surge of energy and optimism and the voice of young people ranging from six to 25 – and the biggest difference of which really needs more work, is when people from the top start listening.”

Prince Seeiso added: “This whole journey of Sentebale started from that element of [Harry] having come to the motherland – he’s now my younger brother Mohali, the warrior – but experiencing breathing the same air, eating the same food as the children… that inspired this dream to come to where we are now.

“But it is that deep-felt need that we want, collectively, to make a difference in our lifetime, and not only in our lifetimes, but to leave a legacy and pass on the baton to the next generation so that’s why we are going out in all different angles.”

The Duke’s kumbaya bonfire moment kicked off his South African tour yesterday – just hours after leaving Britain following a whistle-stop trip to the UK for the WellChild Awards, also without his wife.

The Duke first visited Lesotho in 2004 during his gap year, inspiring him to launch Sentebale in 2006. At the time, one in three children in the country had lost a parent to HIV AIDS-related illness.

The charity now works across Lesotho and Botswana, helping vulnerable young people and their families.

While the prince is in Africa, he also stopped off for lunch with the Royal Family of Lesotho, where he was pictured with a popular but lesser-known princess.

In a smiling photograph, Harry was spotted with Her Royal Highness Princess Senate Seeiso, 22, the eldest child of King Letsie III and Queen Masenate Mohato Seeiso.

The princess, who recently graduated from the University of Ottowa, shared a picture of her and Harry on Instagram and wrote: “Had the pleasure of hosting The Duke of Sussex today for lunch.”