Prince Harry retraced Princess Diana’s steps across a minefield in Angola and attended a reception at the British Embassy on Wednesday.
This week, the Duke of Sussex visited Angola, where he walked through Africa’s largest minefield in Cuito-Cuanavale, repeating the famous gesture of his mother, Princess Diana, who in 1997 supported the work of the HALO Trust, a charity dedicated to mine clearance.
Wearing protective gear, Harry saw first-hand the dangers that still face local residents, despite the fact that almost three decades have passed since his mother’s last visit, when she spoke out against anti-personnel mines.
Princess Diana walked through a minefield in Huambo in January 1997, just months before her death, as part of the HALO Trust campaign. Now her son is continuing that mission, meeting families living near minefields and supporting the organisation’s work to clear mines and protect civilians.
In a remote village in Angola, Harry met with local children and, like his mother before him, warned them in Portuguese: “Stop, go back and tell the adults” to keep them safe from unexploded mines left over from the civil war that ended in 2002.
Prince Harry gave a speech in which he emphasised the need to build a world free of mines:
“Children should not have to live in fear just because they are playing in the street or going to school. Here in Angola, more than 30 years after the war, its legacy is still deadly.”
He also noted the contribution of the Angolan government: “The continued support of the authorities is a testament to the effectiveness of HALO’s work, which saves lives and reduces humanitarian risks. We are grateful to President Lourenço for his leadership and partnership, as well as for the financial assistance aimed at achieving our common goal of making Angola a mine-free country.”
On Tuesday, Prince Harry held talks with Angolan President João Lourenço and HALO Trust CEO James Cowan, discussing the conclusion of a new three-year contract between the state and the charity.
Later that day, he attended a reception hosted by the British Embassy, where he met with business representatives and discussed prospects for further cooperation in the humanitarian field.
This commitment builds on an initiative launched in 2019, when Harry first visited Angola to walk the route his mother once took. At that time, he saw for himself how previously dangerous areas can be transformed into safe and prosperous regions.
However, there are still more than 1,000 minefields in the country, including along the Lobito railway line, an important transport corridor linking Angola’s Atlantic coast with the resource-rich Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia.
Since 1994, HALO Trust has cleared an area in Angola equivalent to almost 7,000 football pitches. The charity also works in the Okavango River headwaters, a World Heritage Site and vital water source for over a million people, supporting the region’s unique ecosystem.
