Look To The Stars News: Princess Diana

Prince Williams Sleeps on London Street

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 13:30:00 -0000

Prince William spent a night on the streets of London to better understand what it’s like to be homeless. Temperatures dropped to 25 degrees Fahrenheit while William slept on cardboard boxes in an alley close to the River Thames.

As hard as he may have tried, William stated, “I cannot, after one night, even begin to imagine what it must be like to sleep rough on London’s streets night after night.”

The chief executive of Centrepoint, Seyi Obakin, accompanied him.

Obakin said, “There was no shielding from the bitter cold or the hard concrete floor or the fear of being accosted by drug dealers, pimps or those out to give homeless people a good kicking. One of the hairiest moments occurred when we were almost run over by a road sweeper which simply didn’t see our small group huddled together, which just goes to show how vulnerable rough sleepers are.”

Centrepoint celebrated their 40th anniversary this year, where Prince William delivered a speech, challenging the organization to redouble its efforts to end youth homelessness. In turn, Obakin challenged him to spend a night on the streets, not expecting William to actually do it.

More than 4,500 people live on the streets of London. His mother, Princess Diana, also supported the charity.

Annie Lennox To Receive Freedom Of London Award

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:00:00 -0000

Annie Lennox is set to receive the Freedom of the City of London at a ceremony taking place at the City of London’s Guildhall on Tuesday 1 December.

The singer was nominated by the British Red Cross International Fundraising Committee, in recognition of her fundraising and humanitarian work.

The presentation will take place in the Basinghall Suite at Guildhall and followed by a star-studded gala dinner and musical ‘Tribute to Annie Lennox’, in the Livery Hall. La Roux, Little Boots and the Music for Life African Children’s Choir will be among the performers. Stephen Fry will be the host for evening and Brian Eno will give a speech.

“The British Red Cross is delighted that on 1 December, World Aids Day, Annie Lennox is being recognised with the Freedom of the City of London,” said Maria Shammas MBE, Chairman of the British Red Cross International Fundraising Committee. “We greatly value her support and her commitment to humanitarian work, which over the years has been remarkable.”

The Freedom of the City of London is one of the oldest surviving traditional ceremonies in existence today; the first Freedom is thought to have been presented in 1237. Previous famous recipients include The Queen, Nelson Mandela, Princess Diana, Luciano Pavarotti, Florence Nightingale and Winston Churchill.

""I first came to London 1971, as a virtually penniless music student , existing on £3 a week," said Lennox. "I’ve lived all over the place and travelled to almost every corner of the globe. For years my suitcase has been half packed, either to leave or because I’ve just arrived home. And the curious thing about the city is that no matter how many years I’ve spent coming and going, I still feel as if there’s so much more to discover.

“As a humanitarian I have long been an admirer of the amazing work of the British Red Cross to tackle HIV across the world and am amazed and honoured to have been acknowledged in this way.”

The gala dinner will take place in the Livery Hall, Guildhall. Guests will arrive from 700pm for a reception, before performances and dinner to start at 7:30pm.

Prince Harry is Following Princess Diana’s Human Rights Lead

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 13:00:00 -0000

Written by Elizabeth Willoughby

Prince Harry, a humanist reminiscent of his mother, the late Princess Diana, made it clear that he would like to make a difference as Diana had done in her lifetime.

He’s off to a good start. At the third anniversary of the charity he co-founded with Lesotho’s Prince Seeiso, who also lost his mother, Harry spoke about poverty, AIDS and their charity.

The Princes’ organisation is called Sentebale, Lesotho for “forget-me-not”, named in memory of their mothers but also for Lesotho AIDS orphans and victims of poverty.

“Lesotho is such a wonderful country and is incredibly close to my heart,” said Harry. “Beautiful as it is though, its people battle devastating problems. Unless we help Lesotho in its struggle to nurture and protect its children and bring them hope for the future, the Basotho – this wonderful people – will be decimated and their society destroyed. It is a stark thing to say, but it is the truth. This may sound a tall order especially for a charity so small, but unless we think big, unless we are ambitious, nothing will change.”

Much media has commented on the Prince’s straight talk, but such frankness is again reminiscent of his mother – Diana shocked many when she held a baby with AIDS, helping to break down fears, stigmas and misinformation about the disease.

Prince Harry Plays Charity Polo In New York

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 11:30:00 -0000

Written by Aime Pingi

Prince Harry arrived last Friday, May 29th, in the United States of America. For his first journey in New York, Harry chained together visits, inaugurations and matches of polo, and tried to represent to best the British royal family.

Hardly arrived at the Big Apple, Prince Harry – third in the order of succession to the throne – began with a visit to the site of the World Trade Center, destroyed by the events of September 11th, 2001. The Prince then inaugurated with emotion the British Garden of Manhattan – dedicated to 67 British victims of these attacks – by planting symbolically a magnolia within the framework of the campaign of Michael Bloomberg, mayor of New York, aiming to make the city more green.

Later, Prince Harry – who is presently undertaking a pilot’s training course in the army after having served in the land forces in Afghanistan – was keen to visit a health center for war veterans to speak to them.

On Saturday, the son of Prince Charles and Princess Diana showed his support for an association helping discriminated young people by attending a class of mathematics of Harlem: "Who is the best in the class? " he said “I was always the worst!”

A royal obstacle race was then organized, featuring Prince Harry and Prince Seesio of Lesotho, both founders of Sentebale, a charity helping the poor children of Africa. Although he came second in that race, Harry was able to catch up a little later during the day, during a match of polo at Governor Island to raise funds for “Sentebale”.

“Prince Seesio and I both lost our mothers when we were very young,” Harry said before the match. “We set up Sentebale in their memory, and because my mother loved this city, it makes this occasion all the more poignant for me.”

The team led by the brother of Prince William competed against that of the Argentine model Nachos Figueras. Celebrities who attended the match included actress Chloë Sevigny, LL Cool J, dressmaker Marc Jacob and Madonna.

Harry’s team, named after the charity, proceeded to defeat the opposing Black Watch team 6-5. Harry assisted on the winning goal in the last seconds, drawing the biggest cheer of the afternoon. It was the second and final day of Harry’s first official visit to the United States.

Not tired for all that, Harry ended his day by a visit to the “Intrepid Sea Air Space Museum of Manhattan,” where he was able to admire the cockpit of the former Concorde of the British company British Airways, as well as air transport dating the Second World War.

Prince Harry To Play Charity Polo In America

Fri, 01 May 2009 12:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

British Royal Prince Harry is to make his first official trip to the US this month, and will take part in a charity polo match while there.

The 24-year-old prince will play a charity exhibition polo match at the Veuve Clicquot Manhattan Polo Classic on New York’s historic Governors Island on May 30, to raise funds for Sentebale, a charity he founded in 2006 with Lesotho’s Prince Seeiso to help the orphans of Lesotho. The match will be the first of a series of events on Governors Island which will celebrate the 400th anniversary of New York.

“We look forward to providing spectators with an afternoon of sport and entertainment surrounded by the magnificent Manhattan skyline,” said Aisha Thompson, Veuve Clicquot Senior Brand Manager. “This year, we are also pleased to be supporting an incredible and inspirational charity, American Friends of Sentebale.”

England’s Daily Mail also reports that “he will make time to visit several charity projects in the area and hopes to fit in a trip to Ground Zero to pay his respects to the victims of 9/11.”

Harry first visited Lesotho in 2004 and was moved by the plight of the young AIDS victims he met. Joining forces with the kingdom’s Prince Seeiso, he set up the charity Sentebale – which means ‘forget me not’ in the local language – in memory of his mother Princess Diana, who was dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS problem in the country.

Prince William Launches Child Bereavement Campaign

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 15:00:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Royal Prince William recently became patron of the Child Bereavement Charity, an organization supported by the late Princess Diana, and spoke about his mother at the launch of the charity’s ‘Remember on Mother’s Day’ campaign at London’s Sladmore Contemporary Art Gallery on Thursday, March 12.

“Losing a close family member is one of the hardest experiences that anyone can endure,” he said at the event. “Never being able to say the word `mummy’ again in your life sounds like a small thing. However, for many, including me, it’s now really just a word — hollow and evoking memories. I too have felt – and still feel – the emptiness on such a day as Mother’s Day…. For those who have lost the one they love, rest assured they will be watching over you.”

The Remember on Mother’s Day campaign aims to highlight the importance of Mother’s Day for families which have suffered the loss of a child or a mother, and raise awareness of the difficulties faced by families coping with bereavements. It also asks for people to pause and reflect on people finding the period painful them on the day itself.

Last week’s event launched the charity’s advertising campaign and included an exhibition of drawings and paintings by children from local schools. The Prince met with the founders and staff of the charity, as well as with people who were grieving the lose of family members.

“I cannot even begin to say how delighted we are that Prince William has agreed to be our Patron,” said Julia Samuel, Founder Patron of the Child Bereavement Charity. “It will make a huge difference to raising awareness of the charity and its work in supporting families and professionals when the unthinkable happens – when a parent has a child die or when a child is bereaved of a parent or sibling.”

The Child Bereavement Charity provides support and information to all affected by the death of a baby or child or when children are bereaved and accessible training for the professionals who work with these families and children. Established in 1994, the charity’s vision is for all bereaved children and grieving families to have access to relevant support and information from appropriately trained professionals.

Also last week, Prince William attended a dinner for Centrepoint, the UK’s leading homeless youth charity. Alongside BBC television and radio presenter Kirsty Young, The Bill actress Lisa Maxwell and radio DJ Sara Cox, the Prince helped to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the organization, of which he has been a patron since 2005.

“My brother and I were lucky enough to grow up supported by the love and nurturing of our family,” he told guests. “They saw to our education, our health, our well-being, and every other need. So many young people have none of this. It is for them that Centrepoint represents the difference between misery and dejection and a sense of hope and renewed self-confidence.”

Alan Carr To Join Rod Stewart At Charity Ball

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 11:30:00 -0000

Global superstar, Rod Stewart, has been confirmed as the headline act at an annual fundraising event for sick and disabled children, and comedians Justin Lee Collins and Alan Carr have been confirmed as MCs for the night.

The generous singer, famed for hits including Maggie May, You Wear It Well and Sailing, has agreed to donate his appearance and perform at the Caudwell Children ‘Butterfly Ball’ in May after learning about the work of the Charity.

The exclusive performance at London’s Battersea Evolution on May 14, will be in front of an impressive guest list of celebrities and charity supporters and will be the first performance in England by Stewart since appearing at the Princess Diana memorial concert at Wembley Stadium in 2007.

Stewart is the latest superstar to perform at the high profile event, which raises funds to provide vital specialist equipment, treatments and therapy for sick and disabled children living in the UK. Founded by successful entrepreneur-turned-philanthropist, John Caudwell, the Charity has donated over £9million and helped change the lives of thousands of children across the UK.

Trudi Beswick, CEO of Caudwell Children, said: "Rod Stewart is without doubt one of the most influential performers of a generation, totally unique and still one of the World’s top entertainers. We are thrilled that Rod has confirmed as our headline act and that he has kindly donated his time to the Charity, it is set to be an electrifying night and the money raised will all go to support children who desperately need our help.

“Justin and Alan are a great addition to our line-up; while the reason we stage this event is to raise vital funds for the charity, we aim to provide our guests with a truly memorable experience and they will definitely help us to achieve that.”

Stewart’s career began in the 60’s when he sung with bands including The Jeff Beck Group and The Faces, but it was as a solo artist that Stewart gained international acclaim making him one of the biggest selling artists of all time. His distinctive raspy voice and emotive song writing secured him an impressive six consecutive UK number one albums and total of 62 hit UK singles. His latest studio album, Still the Same…Great Rock Classics of Our Time, was released in 2006 and went straight to Number 1 in the US Billboard charts.

By performing at the Butterfly Ball in May, Stewart joins the likes of Whitney Houston and Tina Turner, who have both previously entertained the audience of influential entrepreneurs, corporate partners and international celebrities at the glamorous fundraiser.

In 2008 celebrity guests including Joan Collins, Buzz Aldrin, Kelly Rowland, Louis Walsh and David Furnish attended what is fast becoming the most anticipated charity event of the year and joined in raising a staggering £1.5million for the Charity.

Caudwell Children is a national charity based in Staffordshire that provides direct donations of treatments, therapies and specialist equipment throughout the UK. To date the charity has donated over £9 million to thousands of children with over 160 different medical conditions.

The Charity is unique in that all the management and administration costs are covered by its founder and Chairman, John Caudwell, meaning every penny raised goes directly to the cause.

Details about the glamorous event and ticket details are available by visiting www.caudwellchildrenbutterflyball.co.uk or by calling the Charity on 01782 600113.

Prince Harry: My Mother Would Be Proud

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 14:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Prince Harry, currently in the African nation of Lesotho undertaking charity work, has said that his mother would be proud of the work he is doing to revamp a school for disabled children.

The 23-year-old prince is in Lesotho with 26 comrades from the Household Cavalry for the next three weeks, building wheelchair ramps, a new septic tank unit and dining hall at the Thuso e Tla Tsoa Kae Community School.

“I’m out here because I want to be – it’s where I have to be,” said Harry. “I first came out during my gap year and it was love at first sight. It is a wonderful country, in spite of its issues.”

Harry is assisting with projects run by Sentebale, the charity the prince set up in his mother’s memory with Prince Sessio of Lesotho.

“It would be wrong for a patron of a charity to not get involved,” he said. “All the kids are mentally and physically disabled. To expect them to walk up steps like these is madness.”

The new Thuso Community Centre, currently home to a total of 43 children with disabilities, will eventually house up to 80 youngsters, and Sentebale director Harper Brown said that the aim is to turn the town into the country’s teaching and rehabilitation centre for disabled children, many of whom have found themselves orphaned by the AIDS pandemic.

“Everything here is just so positive and fantastic,” said Prince Harry. “This is the only school for mentally handicapped children within Lesotho and once the project is finished, we hope to make another in the centre and one in the south.”

Prince Harry Following Diana’s Path

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 11:36:00 -0000

Written by Elizabeth Willoughby

British Prince Harry, second son of Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana, has partnered with Lesotho’s Prince Seeiso, second son of the late King Letsie III and Queen Mamohato. Together they have created the Sentebale charity to help the most vulnerable orphans in the southern African country. The name means “forget-me-not” in Lesotho, which the Princes found appropriate in every way: forget not the victims of poverty, not the orphans, and not the mothers.

Prince Harry – who claims both Princes’ mothers have been an enormous influence in this endeavor – says, “It’s a way that both me and Prince Seeiso can relate to our mothers, who were both in sort of the same jobs working with orphaned children. Both our mothers were hugely connected with AIDS, especially the orphaned children from that itself. I wanted to carry on as best I could what she started and what better place than to do it than here? I’m sure she knew this place.”

Launched in 2006, Sentebale aims to improve the lives of Lesotho’s needy through grass roots organizations that lack recognition yet can fill the gaps that larger organizations are missing. Support comes in the form of management, infrastructure, entrepreneurial projects and liaising with international grant-makers, NGOs, local service providers and government.

Harry said, “As we traveled round Lesotho we saw the same thing [repeatedly]: great work being done in the community by amazing volunteers who weren’t able to attract support because they didn’t have professional managers or accountants to show where the money was going.”

Some of their completed projects include the building of a child counsel centre, a kitchen in a home for teenage mothers, a computerized Braille machine for blind teenagers, and crop sharing efforts. In a land where children can get raped because traditional healers preach that sex with an innocent girl can cure AIDS, the Princes are looking for ways to increase their impact on the lives of these children.

“Support is desperately needed in Lesotho,” said the Prince. “The statistics tell their own story. There are a minimum of 120,000 orphans and possibly a maximum of 200,000. The life expectancy is 37 years and falling, and the prevalence of HIV and AIDS is at least 30 per cent of the 1.8 million population and it seems to be climbing.”

Around 70 people die in Lesotho from AIDS every day.

Prince Harry To Travel To Africa

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 11:32:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Prince Harry is to join the servicemen from his army regiment working in Africa for a charity he set up to help vulnerable children.

The 23-year-old will travel to Lesotho later this year to help build care facilities and repair infrastructure for projects supported by Sentebale, the organization he founded in 2006 to help young people in the struggling nation.

The three week expedition has secured sponsorship from Land Rover to provide transport, and the trip will take the young prince to meet AIDS orphans and TB sufferers. It will be Harry’s first overseas posting since he served on the front line in Afghanistan this year.

The young royal suggested the idea of the trip to his superiors, and he is excited about the prospect. He first visited Lesotho in 2004 and was moved by the plight of the young AIDS victims he met. Joining forces with the kingdom’s Prince Seeiso, he set up the charity Sentebale – which means ‘forget me not’ in the local language – in memory of his mother Princess Diana, who was dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS problem in the country.

Princess Diana Awards Honor British Youngsters

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 07:14:32 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Princess Diana's legacy is being kept alive by an independent charity that honors children and young people who display outstanding qualities and contribute to their schools, their communities, and society as a whole.

The Diana Awards have honored more than 22,000 young people in Britain since they were established in 1999, and the latest batch have just been awarded to 22 young Scottish children and teenagers who have shown initiative, bravery, and integrity in the battle to help others. But the awards do more than just recognise the recipients’ good deeds, they also aim to give the winners the opportunity to develop their full potential as active citizens within society.

“The Diana Award is a living legacy to the late princess,” said Maggie Turner, Director of the Diana Awards. “It is given to ordinary young people who go that extra mile to make a difference to the lives of friends, families, schools and communities. It is an award for life and we know its recipients will want to use it as a springboard to continue the inspirational work they do for the future of our society.”

The latest 22 recipients include a group of six 10-year-olds from Carmendean Primary School in West Lothian who developed an anti-bullying scheme in their lunch breaks. During their spare time, the young Scots would hold drama activities and games to make sure pupils were not lonely, and they talked openly with other students and teachers about bullying, rough play, and isolation. Also receiving the award were two teenagers from near Glasgow who gave up their spare time to raise other teenagers’ awareness of alcohol and drug abuse, a teen who is a voluteer dance teacher for youth in Dundee while also taking care of her severely ill mother, and another teen who survived a tumor and chemotherapy to go on to raise thousands of dollars for local charities and now devotes her spare time to helping out at daycare centers and a hospice.

It is an award that Princess Diana, one of the most popular and inspiring members of the British Royal Family in recent history, would have been proud of. She worked extensively with AIDS – showing that sufferers of HIV deserved not isolation, but kindness and compassion – and also put pressure on governments across the globe to ban landmines. Overall, she helped to raise millions of pounds for the poor and the suffering, and became the face of philanthropism in Britain and across the world.

For more information about the awards, including how to nominate worthy youngsters, visit www.diana-award.org.uk.

Celebrity Auction Roundup, September 2007

Fri, 14 Sep 2007 14:27:03 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

September 2007 is shaping up to be a busy month for celebrity charity auctions, with proceeds going towards a variety of causes, including the disadvantaged, the sick, the environment, and an endangered species of seal.

One of the most anticipated auctions of the year, the Chevy Chase Green School Auction, kicked off on September 6, and runs until September 20 on www.charitybuzz.com. This is the fourth year the auction has been running, with proceeds going to the Centre For Environmental Education Online. CEE Online is a non-profit organization set up 17 years ago by actor Chevy Chase and his wife Jayni, and grew out of their belief that for environmental understanding to change, it must begin with the education of children. This year’s fundraising will benefit initiatives involving sustainability, the science of climate change, and the support of healthy food in schools.

There are 43 items on auction, with the most popular being a lunch with Bill Clinton and Chevy Chase for two people. This was expected to raise $35,000, but is already attracting bids of over $45,000. Other popular items are a day on the set of a movie with Cameron Diaz (expected to reach $10,000), and backstage passes to The Rachael Ray Show in New York, including a meet and greet with the star, a personal tour of the studios, and a set of signed cookbooks and Rachael Ray cooking utensils (valued at $2,500). Simon Cowell has donated tickets to American Idol to the auction, and other lots include a tour of Martha Stewart's garden, the opportunity to spend an afternoon filming with Daryl Hannah for her environmental website, and the chance to meet Ben Stiller at the world premier of his next movie.

Another major auction underway on the Charitybuzz website is The Christie Brinkley Healthy Kids, Healthy Schools, Healthy Environment Auction. The 53 items up for sale will benefit the New York Coalition For Healthy School Food and Wellness In The Schools.

Lots include the chance to meet Bill Clinton (valued at $50,000), a backstage meet and greet with Alicia Keys (expected to raise $1,500), VIP packages to see Dr. Phil McGraw, signed photos of celebrities such as Cindy Crawford, as well as a variety of dinner and vacation packages. The auction runs until September 27.

Also on auction at Charitybuzz is a very special chalk drawing of Princess Diana, by Russian born artist, Zohar. This exquisite work of art was commissioned in 1990 by the 13th/18th Royal Hussars (Queen Mary’s Own), of which the Princess was Colonel-in-Chief, and is expected to raise $275,000 at auction. Proceeds will go to The People's Princess Charitable Foundation, and will provide support to those suffering from Aids, cancer, and the effects of landmines.

Ebay has several auctions running in September, as part of their Giving Works initiative. The most popular of these is a vehicle belonging to Black Eyed Peas singer, Fergie. The 4 Wheel Drive Hummer H2 has belonged to the singer since 2005, and is expected to reach $65,000 at auction. Proceeds will go to Global Green USA, an organization that works with governments and individuals to create a sustainable and secure future for the planet. More information is available at www.globalgreen.org, and the auction can be viewed at www.ebay.com/fergie.

Five double tickets to a concert featuring Vince Gill and Amy Grant in Tennessee on September 27 are also up for auction. The VIP packages include a pre-show reception, front row seats at the gig, a meet and greet with the stars, and an autographed Hatch Show print commemorating the event. Proceeds are going to Community High School, a facility for teenagers in recovery from alcohol and drug addictions, operated by Creative Recovery Communities. The ticket packages are expected to reach $500 each, and the auction runs until September 18. It can be viewed at www.givingworks.ebay.com.

Finally in September, a special auction is to be held to benefit the plight of the Canadian Harp Seal. Thousands of these creatures are clubbed to death annually for their pelts, and several celebrities have banded together in an effort to stop the slaughter. An auction is to be launched through www.harpseals.org, in association with eBay, and will include a pair of autographed pants worn by Guns & Roses and Velvet Revolver guitarist, Slash, as well as Tiffani Amber Theissen’s parasol and signed CDs from KD Lang and Shania Twain.

Elton John, P. Diddy and Andrew Lloyd-Webber to Celebrate Life of Princess Diana

Thu, 28 Jun 2007 21:03:21 -0000

Written by Myrlia Purcell

This Sunday, July 1st, music will fill the skies in remembrance of Princess Diana. The event was organised by her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry to celebrate her life, ten years after her death.

Concert For Diana will take place at Wembley Stadium in London, and is showcasing a wide variety of musical styles, from Andrew Lloyd-Webber to P. Diddy. Legends Elton John, Rod Stewart and Tom Jones will be joined by the likes of Joss Stone, Nelly Furtado, Pharrell Williams, Kanye West and James Morrison.

Many more performances will take place during the 8-hour-long event, including those by Duran Duran, Take That, Lily Allen and the English National Ballet.

Proceeds of the event go to charities which were supported by the Princess, and to charities of which her sons are now Patrons. These include: The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund, Centrepoint, Sentebale, National AIDS Trust, The Leprosy Mission, the Royal Marsden Hospital and Great Ormond Street Hospital and the English National Ballet.

Tickets cost £45, but those who cannot make it to the concert can view it online at the Concert For Diana website.

Vanity Fair Charity Issue Edited By Bono

Mon, 25 Jun 2007 12:35:00 -0000

Written by Saskia Akyil

Bono is putting his philanthropic energy into Vanity Fair’s July 2007 special issue about Africa. The issue has 20 different cover photos of high-profile individuals, all taken by renowned photographer Annie Liebowitz.

The magazine includes information about the issues and charities supported by actors, athletes, models, politicians, musicians, activists, and billionaire philanthropists, all of whom are using their celebrity status and the publicity they receive to bring attention to the complex set of problems faced by the inhabitants of Africa.

Africa is a continent with great need, and has been given a disproportionately low amount of attention and aid from wealthy nations. It is the first Vanity Fair issue to have a guest editor, and Bono’s highly publicized commitment to aiding Africa makes him an obvious choice for editor of this issue. In recent years, celebrities have used their status to bring a great deal of attention to Africa.

The covers of the Africa issue include portraits of: Bono, Barack Obama, Queen Rania, George Bush, Condaleeza Rice, Muhammad Ali, Desmond Tutu, Brad Pitt, Djimon Hounsou, Madonna, Maya Angelou, Chris Rock, Warren Buffett, Melinda & Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, George Clooney, Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Iman, and Don Cheadle.

The issue features numerous in-depth articles about a variety of subjects concerning Africa, including: Kenya; Desmond Tutu and the fight for equality in South Africa and worldwide; Tunisia’s success and the threat of Islamic extremism; the role of China in fueling some of the conflict in Africa; Jeffrey Sachs dream of how to eradicate extreme poverty; the consumer-action strategy of (Product) Red to make miracle AIDS treatment drugs accessible to the millions who need them; the role of the Congo’s blacklisted airline pilots in keeping trade flowing; Bill Clinton's stories of Nelson Mandela; African music; Africans defying the status quo of poverty, disease, and corruption; suggestions for platform topics for the US 2008 presidential election; the genetic data that links all people on Earth to Africa; identifying the current literary talents of Africa; Princess Diana's post-divorce charity work, in particular her mission to ban land mines; and the Africa connection of the high-profile individuals on Vanity Fair’s July 2007 issue covers.

The Vanity Fair website offers links and information about Africa, charities that benefit the continent, and full-text versions of some of the articles.

Look To The Stars News: Princess Diana

Prince Williams Sleeps on London Street

Related past articles

Annie Lennox To Receive Freedom Of London Award

Related past articles

Prince Harry is Following Princess Diana’s Human Rights Lead

Related past articles

Prince Harry Plays Charity Polo In New York

Related past articles

Prince Harry To Play Charity Polo In America

Related past articles

Prince William Launches Child Bereavement Campaign

Related past articles

Alan Carr To Join Rod Stewart At Charity Ball

Related past articles

Prince Harry: My Mother Would Be Proud

Related past articles

Prince Harry Following Diana’s Path

Related past articles

Prince Harry To Travel To Africa

Related past articles

Princess Diana Awards Honor British Youngsters

Related past articles

Celebrity Auction Roundup, September 2007

Related past articles

Elton John, P. Diddy and Andrew Lloyd-Webber to Celebrate Life of Princess Diana

Related past articles

Vanity Fair Charity Issue Edited By Bono

Related past articles