Prince Harry has again walked his late mother’s footsteps through a minefield in Angola.
Prince Harry’s 2019 visit to Angola
The Duke of Sussex insisted children shouldn’t have to “live in fear” of walking to school as he met with families and children in Cuito Cuanavale, where the “remnants of war” are still feared, 28 years after the late Princess Diana visited the African country to highlight the issue.
Harry said: “Children should never have to live in fear of playing outside or walking to school. Here in Angola, over three decades later, the remnants of war still threaten lives every day.”
Harry joined James Cowan, the chief executive of The Halo Trust to meet Angola’s president, Joao Lourenco to secure a pledge for a three-year programme of “significant” further support.
The 40-year-old royal – who last visited Angola in 2019 – said: “The Angolan government’s continued commitment is a powerful testament to Halo’s success in saving lives and reducing humanitarian risk. We thank President Lourenço for his leadership and partnership, as well as continued donor support as we work together towards completing the mission of a landmine-free country.”
Diana visited Angola in January 1997 with the Halo Trust, just seven months before she died in a Paris car crash and was famously pictured in protective gear as she walked through an active minefield during a brief period of peace in the country’s long civil war.
Two months after her death, a treaty banning landmines was signed, at a time when the country was blighted by more than 15 million landmines.
These days, there are more than 1,000 minefields still waiting to be cleared.
Harry visited children in a remote village which is close to Africa’s largest minefield and repeated simple Portuguese phrases such as “Stop, go back and tell your elders” to prevent the kids from detonating the deadly devices.
He was photographed in a Halo Trust cap and shirt surrounded by laughing children.
The prince previously stressed how it was important to continue his mother’s work on the issue.
He said during a New York summit in September: “Carrying on her legacy is a responsibility that I take seriously.
“I think we all know how much she would want us to finish this particular job.”
