Prince Harry Follows in Princess Diana's Footsteps 22 Years After Her Historic Minefield Walk

The Princess of Wales visited Angola in 1997

By Elyse Dupre Sep 27, 2019 10:08 PMTags
Watch: Prince Harry Follows in Late Mom Princess Diana's Footsteps

Prince Harry is carrying on Princess Diana's legacy. 

The Duke of Sussex visited a de-mining site in Dirico, Angola on Friday to continue to champion his mother's landmine clearance work. 

The royal worked with representatives from The Halo Trust to help clear the area, which was mined during the Angolan civil war. After receiving a safety briefing and learning more about the work of the de-mining teams, Harry walked through the minefield and remotely detonated a mine to help make the area safer for the local community, wildlife and future eco-tourism. 

The Princess of Wales walked through an active minefield in Huambo, Angola in 1997—just months before her death. After working in Dirico, Harry also visited Huambo and walked along the same street his mother did 22 years ago.

"It's been quite emotional retracing my mother's steps along this street 22 years on and to see the transformation that has taken place, from an unsafe and desolate place into a vibrant community of local businesses and colleges," he said.

Diana is often credited with raising awareness for an international treaty against landmines, which was signed shortly after her death. Since then, the once-inhabitable area has transformed into a growing community with colleges, schools and small businesses. Harry said he was "incredibly proud, as I know my mother would've been of the role the United Kingdom has played in this transformation."

"The Duke 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," a statement from Harry and Meghan Markle's Instagram account read.

Later on, Harry visited an orthopaedic center in Huambo, which was recently renamed the Princess Diana Orthopaedic Center in her honor. He even met with two people who worked at the center during his mother's visit in 1997.

This wasn't the first time Harry had visited Angola. He also visited the area in 2013. In addition, he spoke about the "vital mission of de-mining Angola and putting it back on the map as a tourist destination" over the summer.

The visit was part of Harry and Meghan's royal tour of Africa. In addition to his visits to Dirico and Huambo, the royal is expected to attend a reception at the British Ambassador's Residence in Luanda.