Prince Harry walks through Angola minefield 22 years after Princess Diana
Prince Harry walked through a minefield in Angola this morning, following in the footsteps of his mother Princess Diana.
The Duke of Sussex, 35, wore body armour and a protective visor as he walked through the partially cleared minefield in Dirico to highlight the ongoing threat of land mines in the region.
It comes 22 years after the late Princess of Wales hit headlines globally following a minefield walk in the same country in January 1997.
READ MORE: Princess Diana 'knew what she was doing' during iconic minefield walk
![Prince Harry walks across a minefield in Angola, 22 years after his late mother Princess Diana did so in 1997. [Photo: PA]](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/5yZniYnW0Lm4xXL6am_VnA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTUxNw--/https://media-mbst-pub-ue1.s3.amazonaws.com/creatr-uploaded-images/2019-09/954e71b0-e0fb-11e9-a5fe-d8316809298f)
The Duke joined British charity The HALO Trust for the morning - the same charity that his mother accompanied during her iconic minefield visit over two decades ago.
The south-eastern town of Dirico is a former artillery base for anti-government forces who left mines in the position in 2000 before retreating.
The scrubland below bears red warning signs marked with skull and crossbones flags, which are labelled “Perigo Minas” - Portuguese for “danger mines”.
An Instagram post shared on the @SussexRoyal account earlier today said Prince Harry was “humbled” by the experience, and paid mention to the “tireless mission” of the late Princess of Wales “as an advocate for all those she felt needed her voice the most”.
Prince Harry was escorted on the site by Jose Antonio, a regional manager for The HALO Trust.
![File photo dated 15/01/97 of Diana, Princess of Wales wearing a bombproof visor during her visit to a minefield in Huambo, in Angola. The Duke of Sussex has donned body armour and a protective visor to walk through a partially cleared minefield during a visit to the Halo Trust in Dirico, Angola, in scenes reminiscent of his mother Diana, on day five of the royal tour of Africa. [Photo: PA]](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/CVUkmILAXg0TYWp5KJtNww--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY2Mg--/https://media-mbst-pub-ue1.s3.amazonaws.com/creatr-images/2019-09/24751710-e0fa-11e9-97f9-cd223f42ac48)
He was also given safety instructions before walking, and was told not to stray from the clear lanes, touch anything or run.
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During his visit, the Duke watched a mine clearance worker use a metal detector to search for any anti-personnel weapons (explosive land mines designed to hurt humans) still buried in ground.
Towards the end of his visit, the Duke set off a decades-old mine, which had been discovered earlier that day, in a controlled explosion to safety destroy it.
![The Duke of Sussex walks through a minefield in Dirico, Angola, during a visit to see the work of landmine clearance charity the Halo Trust, on day five of the royal tour of Africa. [Photo: PA]](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/hdQVDvGQtaHJi5YpTLtnWw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MA--/https://media-mbst-pub-ue1.s3.amazonaws.com/creatr-images/2019-09/20a0dd90-e0fa-11e9-bfe9-d67f1f02002d)
An account of Harry’s visit was given on the @SussexRoyal Instagram account, including a quote from Diana given during her 1997 visit.
“If an international ban on mines can be secured it means, looking far ahead, that the world may be a safer place for this generation’s grandchildren.”
READ MORE: Best photos from the royal tour
The Duchess of Sussex, who accompanied Harry overseas for their ongoing 10-day royal tour, stayed in South Africa with four-month-old son Archie while Harry carried out the visit
The family will reunite in Johannesburg on Tuesday 1 October following Harry’s visit to Malawi this weekend.
