Prince Harry Shares What ‘Breaks My Heart’ as a Dad to Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet

Prince Harry is following in the footsteps of his mother, Princess Diana, in working to make the future safe for children like his own.

The Duke of Sussex, 40, recently made a return visit to Angola, where his mother began raising awareness about the dangers of landmines nearly 30 years ago. After earning its independence from Portugal in 1975, the African nation was plagued by 30 years of civil war, which left much of its countryside littered with dangerous mines.

Princess Diana visited the country in 1997 and shocked many by walking through a mine-riddled area that was being cleared with help from The HALO Trust. Diana died later that year, but Harry has continued working with the trust in her honor. The organization pioneers new technologies to sweep for mines and assists in educating local Angolan men and women to help clear them.

In his most recent visit, Harry was able to revisit a section of land he walked in 2013. Once a dangerous active minefield, it is now a safe, open area where local children play.

“As a father to young children, it breaks my heart to see innocent children still living and playing next to minefields,” the Duke of Sussex said in a new statement. “All of us have a duty to protect children and future generations from the harms of war, both present and past.”

Harry began championing the cause back in 2010, but his connection to HALO and the children of Angola has only grown since becoming a father himself. He and his wife, Meghan Markle, share two children: Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, 4.

“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 added.

Prince Harry’s visit coincided with a new three-year commitment from the Angolan government to continue partnering with the HALO Trust. In a speech at a reception hosted by the British Embassy and Angolan ministers, Harry praised Angolan President João Lourenço for his commitment to the important cause.

“I know HALO’s Angolan teams are proud of what they’re doing. We’re incredibly proud of them too. They’re not just removing landmines — they’re building a safer future for their families and neighbours,” he said. “This work isn’t just about removing explosives — it’s about enabling opportunity, development and long-term peace.”

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Chris Whatley, HALO USA’s Executive Director, opened up to PEOPLE in 2022 about how the royal family’s commitment to anti-landmine activism has boosted the profile of their organization exponentially over the years.

Reflecting on Diana’s first visit to Angola (she later visited Bosnia on a similar trip, shortly before her death), he recalled, “It’s such a striking juxtaposition of the most famous woman in the world and this remote, dangerous, desperately conflict setting. Angola was really at the sharp end of the stick of the global crisis at that moment in 1997. The imagery of that visit itself was just so compelling. Every American puts that image in their head, even if they’re not that interested in foreign affairs.”

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In September 2024, Prince Harry spoke about continuing his mother’s mission at a HALO Trust event in New York City.

“As you know, the HALO Trust’s work in Angola meant a great deal to my mother. Carrying on her legacy is a responsibility that I take incredibly seriously,” the Duke of Sussex said then.

On Harry returning to the country in the years since Diana’s death, Whatley said, “There was a kind of tension between his connection to his mom and realizing that he’s in a place that was so much a part of who she was then and what her legacy is now. It was such a specific resonance to his mother who he obviously loves and continues to mourn. And then there was the kind of excitement and energy that you get when you see how much has changed and how much impact that she made and how much gratitude he was feeling.”

Source People.com