Twenty-two years ago, shortly before she died, Princess Diana ventured into the landmines of Angola to help conduct a global ban on deadly weapons. Over two decades later, Prince Harry honors his late mother by walking those same minefields with the former landmine victims, honoring Diana’s instrumental humanitarian work. And, in a true tribute to her, he brings along his five-month-old royal baby son, Archie with him on his journey.
Despite a number of memorable moments with Archie in South Africa, Prince Harry’s tour of Angola and its surrounding areas is proving to be a highlight. His visit was marked by a meeting with the HALO Trust mine-clearing camp — a group determined to help nations clear out killer landmines left behind by war. The group, which is long-associated with Princess Diana, is leading the way as Angola plans to spend $60 million to protect natural areas. Soon after, the 35-year-old Prince is headed to Huambo, where Princess Diana once met with mine victims and raised a powerful voice to advocate against the dangers of landmines just months before her death.
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As Harry is being pictured in the same garb and in the same place as his mother’s groundbreaking 1997 trip, he is shadowing her efforts in more ways than one. Calling attention to a much larger global issue, Prince Harry is also using his tour of Africa as a platform to spark conversation about our current environmental crisis.
"This last week, led by Greta [Thunberg], the world's children are striking," he said. "There's an emergency, there's a race against time and one in which we are losing. And everyone knows it."
While on their tour of southern Africa, the royal family enjoyed a few less-monumental but still-exciting moments. Duchess Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were caught breaking a few royal protocols, discussing parenting techniques, and even engaging in a little bit of PDA.
Markle also made her own mark, forging forward in Princess Diana’s footsteps in her own right with a memorable speech made in South Africa’s Nyanga township.
"I am here with you as a mother, as a wife, as a woman, as a woman of color, and as your sister," she said to the crowd of The Justice Desk — an organization that supports children, vulnerable individuals, and local communities.
The family's humanitarian efforts will continue through their next tour stop in Johannesburg.
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