Prince Harry learns about pioneering project to stop HIV transmitting from mothers to their babies as he visits Angola’s president and first lady in capital city Luanda

5 years ago

in World News

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Prince Harry is having audience with met with the President João Lourenço of Angola on solo trip
He visited a minefield where his mother Princess Diana launched her anti-landmine campaign 22 years ago
Duke will continue on to Malawi tomorrow before rejoining Meghan and baby Archie in South Africa

Prince Harry has met with the President of Angola as he continues his solo trip across the country which his mother Diana toured during an anti-landmine campaign more than 20 years ago.

He is spending the day learning about pioneering work on the transmission of HIV/AIDS from mothers to their babies which is championed by the country’s First Lady Ana Dias Lourenco.

Uniformed military saluted the Duke of Sussex as he first arrived for an audience with leader João Lourenço at the presidential palace in Luanda, Angola on sixth day of his royal tour of Africa.

Harry will later be visiting a hospital to see the HIV project spearheaded by First Lady Lourenco, who he met yesterday.

He has left Meghan Duchess of Sussex and baby Archie to continue their stay in South Africa while he completes trips to Angola and Malawi on his own.

Prince Harry has met with the President of Angola as he continues his solo trip across the country which his mother Diana toured during an anti-landmine campaign more than 20 years ago

Uniformed military saluted the Duke of Sussex as he arrived for an audience with leader João Lourenço at the presidential palace in Luanda, Angola on sixth day of his royal tour of Africa with wife Meghan and baby Archie

The Duke of Sussex had an audience with João Lourenço at the presidential palace in Luanda, Angola on sixth day of his royal tour of Africa with wife Meghan and baby Archie

Harry will later be visiting a hospital to see the work of a project spearheaded by the country’s first lady, Ana Dias Lourenco who he met yesterday (pictured)

The Prince will move onto Malawi tomorrow, before joining back up with Meghan in South Africa on the tenth day

The Prince will move onto Malawi tomorrow, before joining back up with Meghan in South Africa as they conclude their tour with high-profile meetings with Nelson Mandela’s widow Grace Machel and the country’s President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Prince Harry started the emotional pilgrimage to Angola yesterday where his late mother launched an anti-landmine campaign, her last major crusade before her untimely death.

Tragically, the princess never saw her work to secure a global ban on the weapons come to fruition.

But yesterday her adored son retraced her footsteps, donning the same protective body armour and visor she did 22 years earlier to detonate a device in a partially-cleared field in Dirico, in the south east of the country.

Harry, 35, walked into an area that was once an artillery base for anti-government forces who had mined the position in 2000, during the decades-long civil war that tore the country apart.

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex yesterday visited the Princess Diana Orthopaedic Centre in Huambo, Angola, which has been named in honour of his late mother

Earlier yesterday the Duke of Sussex walked through a minefield in Dirico, Angola, during a visit to see the work of landmine clearance charity the Halo Trust

Harry’s mother Diana visited a minefield in Angola in January, 1997. The Princess of Wales visited Huambo to bring global attention to the crisis of landmines and the people whose lives were being destroyed

Like all those visiting the site, which is being cleared by The Halo Trust, the same landmine clearance charity that worked with Dianna, Harry had been given a safety briefing and told not stray of the cleared lanes, touch anything or run.

Speaking afterwards the prince said: ‘Landmines are an unhealed scar of war. By clearing the landmines we can help this community find peace, and with peace comes opportunity.’

He and his wife, the Duchess of Sussex, also posted a message on their official Instagram page in which they honoured his mother’s work which ‘helped change the course of history’.

They added: ‘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.’

The Sussex’s Royal tour schedule

Day One – 23 September

The tour began in a township in Cape Town, South Africa where Prince Harry and Meghan joined children at a workshop that teaches children about their rights and provides self-defence classes.

The couple also toured District Six Museum to learn about the work done to reunite people affected by the apartheid.

Day Two

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex travelled to Monwabisi Beach nearby to learn about Waves for Change’s therapy programme for those who have been affected by violence.

Prince Harry then joined the City of Cape Town Marine Unit to learn about the work done to combat illegal poaching.

In the afternoon, Meghan and Harry visited the oldest mosque in the country and finally attend a reception at the British High Commissioner’s Resident.

Day Three

The Sussexes accompanied by baby Archie met the anti-Apartheid Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Mrs Tutu at their legacy foundation.

From here, Their Royal Highnesses’ programme split – The Duke will travel onwards to Botswana while The Duchess remains in South Africa.

Meghan then remained in South Africa, visiting the Woodstock Exchange that encourages female entrepreneurs.

Day Four

The Duke made a working visit to Botswana, first travelling to Chobe Forest Tree Reserve to join schoolchildren to plant trees and raise awareness of the fragility of these vital ecosystems.

Prince Harry then spent the evening of 26th September at a new HALO Trust demining camp.

Meghan Markle took part in a Women in Public Service breakfast at the High Commission in Cape Town.

Day Five

The Duke remotely detonated a mine in a field outside Dirico. He saw aspects of the legacy that his mother Princess Diana started in raising awareness for the threat of landmines.

He later met members of the local community and victims of landmines. His Royal Highness will give remarks about the importance of continuing de-mining.

Day Six

The Duke has attended an Audience with Angolan President Lourenço at the Presidential Palace.

He then visited the Maternity Hospital Lucrécia Paim to see the work of a project spearheaded by First Lady Ana Dias Lourenço ‘Born Free to Shine’ which focuses on preventing HIV/AIDS transmission from mothers to babies.

Meghan, meanwhile, visited a memorial to a young South African woman whose rape and murder inspired thousands of people to protest the country’s high rate of sexual violence.

Day Seven

The Duke is set to arrive in Lilongwe, Malawi in the morning. He will later visit Nalikule College of Education and interact with a network of young women who are supported to attend and complete secondary school with the help of UKAid bursaries through the Campaign for Female Education.

The Duke will then attend an Audience with the President Peter Mutharika, and in the evening attend a Reception hosted by the British High Commissioner.

Day Eight

Prince Harry will fly in to Liwonde National Park to pay tribute to guardsman Mathew Talbot of the Coldstream Guards, who lost his life in May 2019 while on an anti-poaching patrol.

His Royal Highness will witness an anti-poaching demonstration exercise conducted jointly by local rangers and UK military deployed on Operation CORDED. To conclude,

His Royal Highness will dedicate Liwonde National Park and the adjoining Mangochi Forest to the Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy project to protect parkland from deforestation and other similar activities.

Day Nine

On the last day of his solo leg of the tour, the Duke will visit the Mauwa Heath Centre before heading back to South Africa.

Her Royal Highness will attend a round-table discussion with the Association of Commonwealth Universities in Johannesburg. The Duchess will meet academics and students to discuss the challenges faced by young women in accessing Higher Education.

Day Ten

Have joined back up the previous evening, the Duke and Duchess will visit a township near Johannesburg to meet with inspiring local youth.

They will also meet with Grace Machel, the widow of the late President Nelson Mandela. To close the tour, Their Royal Highnesses will attend an audience with President Cyril Ramaphosa and his wife Dr Tshepo Motsepe. Their Royal Highnesses will depart for London that evening.

source:dailymail