Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are reportedly set to undertake their first royal tour as parents, just months after welcoming their son Archie Harrison. According to ITV, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will travel to Africa, where they will carry on Princess Diana’s legacy of humanitarian work. On their itinerary, the pair will visit Malawi, South Africa, and Angola, where they will highlight the continuing problems from land mines. Princes William and Harry’s mother famously walked through an active land mine area in Angola wearing a visor and vest prior to her death.
Harry and Meghan will reportedly undertake a royal tour of Africa in 2019
Ahead of Harry and Meghan’s royal tour, the palace announced that the Duke of Sussex will attend the Mine Clearance, Conservation, and Economic Development in Angola event—in partnership with the HALO Trust—on June 17. William's younger brother became patron of the mine clearance charity, the HALO Trust, in 2013. Like his mother, the Duke of Sussex has visited minefields and met with amputees.
Back in 2017, Harry delivered a passionate speech on International Mine Awareness Day, honoring his late mother’s promise not to forget the victims of land mines. “Twenty years ago, in the last months of her life, my mother campaigned to draw attention to the horrific and indiscriminate impact of landmines,” he said (via TIME). “At the time, the attention my mother brought to this issue wasn’t universally popular; some believed she had stepped over the line into the arena of political campaigning – but for her this wasn’t about politics; it was about people.”
Princess Diana famously walked through a minefield, bringing global attention to the issue
The Duke noted in his speech that his mother was “shocked and appalled” by the impact land mines were having on vulnerable people, especially children. Harry said, “She did not understand why more people were not willing to address the cause of so much suffering. She refused to accept that these destructive weapons should be left where they were, just because they were perceived as too expensive and difficult to remove.”
Harry also two introduced two men, Malic and Žarko, who both lost their legs to land mines as boys. Princess Diana had met with them during her visit to Bosnia In August 1997. “When my mother said goodbye to Žarko that August, just weeks before her untimely death, she told him he would not be forgotten,” Harry shared. “Please help me keep her word to Žarko and Malic, and other people like them throughout the world, who still need us to finish the job and rid the planet of landmines. Collectively we have the knowledge, skill, and resources to achieve it, so let’s make future generations proud and finish what we started.”
© Getty Images
© Getty Images
