Prince Harry visited the de-mining field outside Dirico, a town in Angola’s Cuando Cubango province, where he remotely detonated a mine and met community members. Harry will then travel to Huambo to visit an area Princess Diana went to and was a dangerous minefield in 1997 but is now a thriving town. The Duke of Sussex will also visit, just like his mother did, Huambo Orthopaedic Centre, which he will rename after his mother in honour of Princess Diana. The important day has been marked by an Instagram post shared on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’ official account, sussexroyal.

The caption, published alongside a picture of Diana in Huambo, reads: “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 unhabitable 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.”

The pictures of Diana wearing protective gear as she walked among red skull-and-crossbone signs in Huambo won publicity for British charity the HALO Trust, which was clearing mines left during Angola’s civil war.

Diana died a few months before the international treaty to ban the weapons was signed later that year.

In June, Harry threw his weight behind mine clearance efforts in Angola, saying land mines were “a humanitarian issue and not a political one.”

Harry said the long journey to a mine-free Angola was “full of heartache and frustration”, but he believed the country would become a “shining example to the rest of the continent.”

Speaking after detonating the mine, Prince Harry said: “This historic commitment is a key step forward for the movement to rid the world of landmines and lead the foundation for a safe and just future for the next generations.

“Landmines are an unhealed scar of war.

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“By clearing the landmines, we can help this community find peace, and with peace comes opportunity.

“Additionally, we can protect the diverse and unique world life that relies on the beautiful Cuanza river, and that river and those world life, are your natural asset.

“If looked after they will bring you unlimited opportunities within the conservation of your economy.

“It is fitting that this project starts in Dirico, at the convergence of the two rivers that flow from Angola’s highlands, down to the delta.

“These two rivers provide water and life to over a million people downstream and an essential and incredibly delicate habitat for an abundance of world life.

“Just as these rivers extend for miles, so much this project extends, far beyond Dirico.

“Outside the national parks, large parts of this crucial watershed need to be cleared of landmines.

“Clearing the full watershed will take an international effort, everyone who recognises the priceless importance of safeguarding Africa’s most intact natural landscape should commit fully to this mission.”

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