Prince Harry has signalled his intention to expand the work of his Sentebale charity beyond the single African nation of Lesotho to other developing world countries.

According to the Press Association, the royal let slip the plans after he played in a fundraising polo match for Sentebale in Brazil at the weekend.  He reportedly said: “It’s not just about Lesotho. I understand there are disadvantaged kids all round the world that have no hope and need help, including in the UK and Brazil.

“My ambition – well I hope that’s what we’re doing in Lesotho – once we’re professional enough, and that may take a couple of years or a few more years to go, we hope to expand across the world with the concept we’re using in Lesotho.”

The proposed expansion coincides with the installation of a new chief executive at the charity this month – Cathy Ferrier, the former Oxfam fundraising chief.

Prince Harry set up Sentebale with Prince Seeiso, the younger brother of Lesotho’s king, in 2006 to help children in the country affected by Aids. The organisation supports local charities and civil society organisations with funding and management help.

In the year to 31 August 2010, the most recent year for which accounts are available on the Charity Commission website, Sentebale had income of £1.8m and spent £1.4m. Its 2011 accounts have reportedly been received by the Commission but not uploaded to the website.