Silent Tribute To London Terror Victims Before Harry's HIV Charity Polo Match

Silent Tribute To London Terror Victims Before Harry's HIV Charity Polo Match

Prince Harry's charity fundraising polo match in Singapore has fallen silent in tribute to the victims of the London terrorist attack.

Before the match began, the players and spectators observed a minute's silence in memory of the seven killed and dozens injured when pedestrians were mowed down by a van on London Bridge before the attackers went on a stabbing rampage.

Harry hopes to raise £1 million from the polo event for his charity Sentebale's work with HIV positive children in Lesotho and Botswana, as well as other projects helping vulnerable youngsters.

Ahead of the match at the exclusive Singapore Polo Club, the Prince said the fight against HIV cannot be won unless children living with the disease are given a voice.

After riding on to the pitch, the players observed a minute's silence after the national anthems of Singapore and Britain were played.

The compere announced the tribute, saying it was "a mark of respect for all the victims and those affected by the terror attacks in London on Saturday night".

Harry bowed his head as the sports field fell silent, then sprang to life with the other players when a whistle was blown to signal the end of the tribute.

Among the guests were Karen Gillan, a former Doctor Who companion currently starring on the big screen in Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2, actress Gemma Chan, who is reportedly dating comic Jack Whitehall, and Downton Abbey actress Joanne Froggatt.

Writing in the official programme for the Sentebale Polo Cup with his charity co-founder Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, Harry said: ''In the past year we have expanded operations into Botswana, addressing the pressing needs of the country with the world's third-highest HIV prevalence.

''We will continue to support the global commitment to ending the Aids epidemic by 2030.

''We believe that we cannot beat HIV without giving children and adolescents the voice they deserve.

''It is our ambition to change the tide of this epidemic by ensuring more young people know their status, access treatment and are empowered to tackle stigma and play their part in bringing the Aids epidemic to an end.''

In-roads have been made in tackling the Aids epidemic among adults and the under-fives in Africa but it is still the biggest killer of the continent's adolescents.

They face problems with accessing treatment, as clinics are sometimes only open during school hours, stigmatisation is still prevalent and the language used by adults helping them can be off-putting.

Sentebale launched its Let Youth Lead campaign in April to give young people with HIV a platform to tell decision-makers, NGOs, governments and others what they need, and the charity has already held two summits to train up young advocates.

The polo match was played in sweltering conditions and at a fast pace, with Harry's Sentebale team taking a 2-0 lead early in the game before running out 5-2 winners.

The Prince showed his skill by scoring two goals and later took to the stage with his team mates to collect the trophy from actress Gillan.

Later, at a dinner held to mark the Sentebale Polo Cup, Harry gave a speech where he outlined the future progress of his charity and reiterated his belief in giving HIV youngsters a voice.

He said: "A year ago, we announced that we would be expanding our clubs and camps into Botswana – by next year we hope to be providing support to 750 children there, in addition to the 5,000 children we support each year in Lesotho.

"Last summer, Prince Seeiso and I attended the International Aids Conference in Durban, South Africa; we joined Sir Elton John and a panel of young people living with HIV to talk about the future.

"It was so obvious to all of us that we're not going to beat this virus in Africa or anywhere else, without giving young people a voice and a platform from which to speak.

"The younger generation are better connected than ever before and so, in many ways, better equipped to affect change in their communities; we must listen to them and encourage this conversation."