Prince Harry dons body armour to retrace Dianas iconic visit to Africa minefield

p a data-content-type=section-topic data-link-tracking=InArticle|Link href=https://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/prince-harryPrince Harry/a has donned body armour and a protective visor in scenes reminiscent of his late mother Princess Diana to walk through a partially cleared minefield in Africa. /p pThe Duke of Sussex is highlighting the ongoing threat of the munitions in Angola, where Diana visited in 1997 to urge the world to ban the weapons./p pPhotos of Diana walking through a cleared minefield and meeting those maimed by mines became iconic./p pToday, a photo was posted of the Princess of Wales on the Sussex Royal a data-content-type=section-topic data-link-tracking=InArticle|Link href=https://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/instagramInstagram/a account with the caption: quot;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.quot; /p pNear the south-eastern town of Dirico, the Duke has now walked into an area that was once an artillery base for anti-government forces who had mined the position in 2000 before retreating./p pThe dusty scrubland was marked with red warning signs showing the skull and crossbones, with the Portuguese words quot;Perigo Minas!quot; and the English translation below - danger mines./p img src=https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article20311849.ece/ALTERNATES/s810/0_Royal-visit-to-Africa-Day-Five.jpg title=The Duke of Sussex walks through a minefield in Dirico, Angola data-portal-copyright=PA img src=https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article20100068.ece/ALTERNATES/s810/0_Princess-Diana-Angola-Visit-1997.jpg title=Princess Dianaapos;s Angola visit in 1997 data-portal-copyright=Daily Mirror pThe Sussex Royal Instagram account said: quot;Today in Angola The Duke of Sussex will retrace his mother#x2019;s steps to see the legacy of her work and how her connection with this community helped make the elimination of landmines a reality./p pquot;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. /p pquot;Two decades later, the area has transformed from desolate and unhabitable to lively and vibrant, with colleges, schools and small businesses.quot;/p img src=https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article20311885.ece/ALTERNATES/s810/0_Royal-visit-to-Africa-Day-Five.jpg title=Harry praised the clearing efforts by the Halo Trust as helping the community to quot;find peacequot; data-portal-copyright=PA pIt added: quot;Princess Diana#x2019;s visit helped change the course of history, and directly led to the Convention against Anti-Personal Landmines, also known as the Ottawa Treaty. /p pquot;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.brbrquot;During his visit today, The Duke will walk along the street which was once the minefield where his mother was famously pictured.quot;/p img src=https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article20311721.ece/ALTERNATES/s810/0_Princess-Diana-Landmines.jpg title=This photo was shared on the Sussex Royal Instagram account this morning data-portal-copyright=PA pThe Duke of Sussex made a speech while visiting the landmine site, praising the clearing efforts by the Halo Trust as helping the community to quot;find peacequot;./p pquot;Landmines are an unhealed scar of war. By clearing the landmines we can help this community find peace, and with peace comes opportunity,quot; Harry said./p pquot;Additionally, we can protect the diverse and unique wildlife that relies on the beautiful Kuito river that I slept beside last night./p pquot;That river and those wildlife are your natural assets and, if looked after, will bring you unlimited opportunities in the conservation-led economy.quot;/p pquot;It is fitting that this project starts in Dirico, at the convergence of the two rivers that flow from Angolaapos;s islands down to the Okavango Delta,quot; the Duke continued./p pquot;These two rivers provide water and life to over a million people downstream and an essential and incredibly delicate habitat for an abundance of wildlife./p pquot;Just as these rivers extend for miles, so must this project extend far beyond Dirico. /p pquot;Outside the national parks, large parts of this crucial watershed also need to be cleared of land mines./p pquot;Clearing the full watershed will take an international effort. Everyone who recognises the priceless importance of safeguarding Africaapos;s most intact natural landscape should commit fully to this mission.quot;/p img src=https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article20312151.ece/ALTERNATES/s810/0_Royal-visit-to-Africa-Day-Five.jpg title=Photos of Diana walking through a cleared minefield became iconic data-portal-copyright=PA p Jose Antonio, a regional manager for the landmine clearance charity the Halo Trust, took a data-content-type=section-topic data-link-tracking=InArticle|Link href=https://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/prince-harryPrince Harry/a onto the site where his staff have been working since August to make it safe. /p pHe hopes they can complete their painstaking clearance by the end of October./p pLike all those visiting the Trustapos;s site, Harry had been given a safety briefing and told not stray of the cleared lanes, touch anything or run./p pHe watched as a mine clearance worker used a metal detector to search for the mostly anti-personnel mines buried in ground./p pIf one is discovered staff are trained to move back and carefully remove the soil as they move forward until they reach the munition./p pThe Duke walked through an area of the site looking at the marked off areas which potentially could contain landmines./p pAn anti-personnel mine had been discovered earlier and Harry was asked to set it off with a controlled explosion to safely destroy the decades-old weapon./p img src=https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article20060203.ece/ALTERNATES/s810/2_FILE-PHOTO-FILE-PHOTO-OF-DIANA-PRINCESS-OF-WALES-VISITING-ANGOLAN-MINE-FIELD.jpg title=An iconic photo of Princess Diana during her visit to help a Red Cross campaign data-portal-copyright=REUTERS pPrincess Dianaapos;s visit led to the drafting of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, signed by 133 nations./p pIt came into effect in March 1999, 18 months after she died./p pToday, Harry is in Angola to see work being done by the Halo Trust, championed by Diana, and to visit Huambo Orthopaedic Centre./p pThe hospital, which his mum had toured, is to be renamed in her honour after an upgrade./p pA senior Palace source said: #x201C;This is all about wanting to fulfil his mother#x2019;s legacy.#x201D;/p pThe Sussex Royal Instagram today posted a quote by Princess Diana in 1997, saying: quot;If an international ban on mines can be secured it means, looking far ahead, that the world may be a safer place for this generationapos;s grandchildren.quot;/p