Prince Harry has declared he has a "duty" to protect children from the dangers of landmines, speaking emotionally about his role as a father after his visit to Angola.
The Duke of Sussex's visit continued the legacy of his mother, Princess Diana, who famously walked through Angolan minefields in 1997.
"As a father to young children, it breaks my heart to see innocent children still living and playing next to minefields," Harry said after participating in a landmine safety education session in the remote village of Mawano.
The prince, who has two young children with wife Meghan Markle, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, added: "All of us have a duty to protect children and future generations from the harms of war, both present and past."
GETTY / Instagram via @meghan
|Prince Harry has stressed his 'duty' to protect children as he a father of young children, Archie and Lilibet, during his trip to Angola
During the safety session, Prince Harry repeated instructions in Portuguese, teaching local children how to recognise and avoid landmines.
The land nearby was once an active minefield that the Duke himself walked in 2013, but has since been transformed through years of dedicated clearance by Angolan men and women trained by The Halo Trust.
The visit marked nearly three decades since his mother, Princess Diana, brought global attention to the dangers of landmines in Angola.
Harry's trip also coincided with the Angolan Government's announcement of a new three-year commitment to support landmine clearance, reinforcing its position as Halo's largest single donor in Angola.
The Halo Trust
|The Duke of Sussex was in the African nation to raise awareness of de-mining efforts, as is late mother had done decades earlier
During a meeting in Luanda with President João Lourenço, Prince Harry praised Angola's leadership on de-mining efforts.
"This commitment is about more than removing deadly devices. It's about unlocking potential in a country that has so much—enabling children to walk to school safely, allowing farmers to grow crops, attracting sustainable development and bringing back wildlife tourism," he said.
This renewed partnership builds on earlier support announced during the Duke's 2019 visit with Halo.
Since then, over 20,000 landmines have been cleared in the Cuando Cubango region alone, with the support of the Angolan Government.
The Halo Trust
|Harry led a safety lesson for young children who lived near one of the deadly minefields
Despite extraordinary progress, over 1,000 minefields remain across Angola—reminders of a civil war that ended over two decades ago.
Prince Harry highlighted the strategic importance of ongoing clearance efforts, particularly around the Lobito Corridor railway route linking Angola's Atlantic coast with the DRC and Zambia, and the Okavango Delta, whose headwaters originate in Angola.
"This work isn't just about removing explosives—it's about enabling opportunity, development, and long-term peace," he said.
At a war memorial in Cuito Cuanavale, the Duke issued a call to action: "I urge all donors to stand with Angola in finishing the job. This is not just about landmines. It's about healing the last wounds of war and giving future generations the peace they deserve."
The Halo Trust
|The Duke also celebrated a new three-year commitment to support landmine clearance from the Angolan Government
James Cowan, The Halo Trust's CEO, delivered a glowing tribute to the success of the visit.
"It was an honour to have an audience with His Excellency President Lourenço today alongside Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, to discuss Halo's continued demining efforts in Angola," he began.
Cowan thanked the Angolan leader for his "extraordinary dedication to and investment in the vision of a mine-free country," adding that President Lourenço "expressed his intention to continue to support our work with a further significant contract for the next three years".
"Our partnership is, and we are grateful to President Lourenço for his leadership on this critical issue," the statement concluded.