Prince Harry 'Irritated' by Undestroyed Landmines, Reminds Many of Princess Diana's Passion
Prince Harry recently finished a trip to Angola to look through abandoned fields littered with landmines. The trip left the prince "irritated" and was an eerie reminder of his mother, the late Princess Diana's, trip through the minefields in 1997.
"The Prince has got quite a bee in his bonnet about it, and that's good," HALO Trust chief executive Guy Willoughby told Sky News. "He is irritated that the countries which supplied these landmines are not actually putting in any funds to clear them, 25 years on."
Prince Harry took over his mother's role in the charity, the HALO Trust, which seeks to remove all of the landmines from the area. Princess Diana made a visit to the fields and walked among the mines in 1997, just months before she died. It was a memorable occasion, as she easily could have set off one of the mines and been seriously injured or killed.
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While the late Princess' visit brought attention and focus to the problem, it also led to further irritation on the part of the Royal Family, which reportedly called her a "loose cannon" and did not approve of her behavior. Prince Harry decided to take up the cause and visit the country himself, even walking through the same fields his late mother did.
According to Sky News, the HALO Trust has destroyed more than 1.4 million landmines. However, there are still millions of landmines that have yet to be destroyed or set off, meaning that there is still a great threat to those in the area.
"Wars may be over but many people are still unable to resume their normal lives," Willoughby added, "facing the threat of death or injury by landmines every day. The commitment shown by Prince Harry plays an invaluable role in helping us to raise awareness of HALO's work and mission."
Harry previously visited Mozambique on behalf of the HALO Trust and met with those who were working to destroy the landmines as well as the victims of the mines. His mother also met with victims, who endured multiple amputations; one of the last famous photos of Diana showed her with young mining victims.
"Prince Harry was pleased to see how much progress the charity has made and is keen to keep supporting their efforts in anyway he can," Kensington Palace said of Harry's trip to Angola.
