Prince Harry Follows In Mom's Footsteps By Visiting Angola Landmine Field

By Emily Lee

September 28, 2019

Prince Harry is continuing his late mother's to rid the world of dangerous landmine fields. The Duke of Sussex literally followed in Princess Diana's footsteps during his royal tour of Angola by walking through the same landmine field she did twenty two years earlier.

During Prince Harry's visit to HALO Trust mine site outside Dirico in Angola, the 35-year-old royal remotely detonated a mine and learned how the de-mining efforts are benefitting the local population. Following these events, Prince Harry gave a speech about the importance of their de-mining efforts.

“This historic commitment is a key step forward for the movement to rid the world of mines and lay the foundation for a safe and just future for the next generation,” the prince said. “Landmines are an unhealed scar of war. By clearing the landmines, we can help this community find peace, and with peace comes opportunity.”

“Later today I will visit Huambo, to see the place where my mother walked through a minefield in 1997. Once heavily mined, the second city of Angola is now safe,” he continued. “With the right international support, this land around us here can also be like Huambo – a landmine-free, diverse, dynamic, and thriving community, connected to and benefitting from all that it has to offer.”

Diana, Princess of Wales wearing protective body armour and

Carrying on his mother's legacy and important work was clearly an important moment for Prince Harry. He shared a quote from Princess Diana's own trip to the landmine field two decades prior on his Instagram account after his visit concluded. “If an international ban on mines can be secured it means, looking far ahead, that the world may be a safer place for this generation's grandchildren," Harry's mother said during her own time in Angola.

The caption further explains that Prince Harry is "humbled to be visiting a place and a community that was so special to his mother, and to recognize her tireless mission as an advocate for all those she felt needed her voice the most, even if the issue was not universally popular."

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“If an international ban on mines can be secured it means, looking far ahead, that the world may be a safer place for this generation's grandchildren.” – Princess Diana, 1997 Today in Angola The Duke of Sussex will retrace his mother’s steps to see the legacy of her work and how her connection with this community helped make the elimination of landmines a reality. In 1997 Diana Princess of Wales visited Huambo to bring global attention to the crisis of landmines and the people whose lives were being destroyed. Two decades later, the area has transformed from desolate and uninhabitable to lively and vibrant, with colleges, schools and small businesses. The Duke is humbled to be visiting a place and a community that was so special to his mother, and to recognise her tireless mission as an advocate for all those she felt needed her voice the most, even if the issue was not universally popular. Princess Diana’s visit helped change the course of history, and directly led to the Convention against Anti-Personal Landmines, also known as the Ottawa Treaty. Today, with the support of @thehalotrust, Angola now has a stated aim under the Treaty to be clear of known mines by 2025. Despite great progress, 60 million people worldwide still live in fear of landmines every day. During his visit today, The Duke will walk along the street which was once the minefield where his mother was famously pictured. #RoyalTourAfrica #RoyalVisitAngola Photo©️PA

A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on Sep 26, 2019 at 11:15pm PDT

Though Harry walked the exact path his mother did, it's no longer a dangerous landmine field: it's a "vibrant community with several colleges, schools and small businesses," according to People. It must have been so special for Prince Harry to see long lasting effects of his mother's advocacy. Surely Princess Diana would be equally proud of her son's work, as well.

Photo: Getty