Meghan Markle has stayed in the US for “safety” as Prince Harry flew abroad for a major engagement.
The Duke of Sussex touched down in Angola today to retrace Princess Diana’s historic steps through explosive minefields for the Halo Trust charity. Harry arrived at Luanda airport before taking a small aircraft to reach the landmine sites.
His visit echoes Princess Diana’s groundbreaking walk through Angolan minefields 28 years ago for the same British NGO. The late princess’s striking photographs in a flak jacket and helmet became iconic images, particularly poignant as she died in a car crash later that year in 1997.
The duke, who became Halo’s patron in 2019, plans to walk across the same dangerous terrain his mother traversed. A speech is expected later today, though the British press have been barred from attending the event.
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Meghan Markle stays in US for ‘safety’ as Prince Harry flies abroad for major engagement.
The Duchess of Sussex remained at home due to safety concerns, with Harry determining the trip posed too great a risk for his wife. A source told the Mail: “The duke won’t let his wife go to England over security concerns, so there was no chance he’d allow her to go to Angola to walk across landmines.”
Beyond security considerations, insiders suggest Harry prefers to keep his Halo Trust work separate from his marriage. “Halo is really his thing, it means so much to him to be patron, and he just wants to keep his work with them to himself,” a source told the publication.
Meghan has consistently avoided Halo events, including missing a United Nations gathering in New York last September despite it being held in the US.
Harry aims to encourage increased funding from the Angolan government through the publicity surrounding his visit. “Usually these trips help to drive a bit more money from the Government,” a source told the outlet.
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Prince Harry pictured in Angola in 2019.
Angola set an ambitious target to clear all landmines by 2025, and the duke hopes his presence will accelerate efforts to meet this deadline.
When Harry became patron in 2019, the Angolan Government pledged £46million for wildlife corridors and endangered species protection in conservation areas.
The prince seeks to highlight Halo’s pioneering use of AI and drone technology to accelerate mine clearance operations.
Since 1994, the charity has removed over 123,000 landmines across Angola, converting former battlefields into productive farmland, national parks and secure villages.
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Princess Diana walking through minefields in Angola in 1997.
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Prince Harry pictured giving a speech during his trip to Angola in 2019.
The duke’s Angola visit follows a confidential meeting between Sussex representatives and royal officials in central London last week.
Harry and Meghan’s chief of communications, Meredith Maines, met King Charles’s communications secretary, Tobyn Andreae, at the Royal Over-Seas League, just three minutes from Clarence House.
The gathering included Liam Maguire, who manages the Sussexes’ UK public relations, and has been characterised as an initial step in a “rapprochement process” to mend the fractured relationship between the duke, his wife and the Royal Family.
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told MailOnline that whilst Prince William remains “furious” at the Sussexes’ behaviour, the King would not have proceeded without the heir’s support. “The King would never have made these moves without William’s support and understanding,” he stated.
