The Special Way Princess Diana Is Included in Meghan and Harry's Historic Royal Africa Tour

Published Sep 6, 2019

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3:44pm

By now, you know that Meghan, Harry and royal baby Archie are headed to Africa this fall for an official royal tour. The Palace just released new details about the trip, and the ten-day itinerary holds special significance for Harry's mother, the late Princess Diana.

In a new post from @SussexRoyal, the duke and duchess shared fresh news about their upcoming visit, which begins on September 23 (TWO WEEKS, YOU GUYS!).

"We look forward to seeing you soon!” they wrote about the historic tour. Yep, baby Archie will make history as one of the youngest royals to ever embark on any royal trip in an official capacity at just 4 months old (not that we're super jealous, or anything...).

But one detail we're still reeling from: the tribute to Princess Diana's legacy, and how Harry and Meghan will honor the Princess of Wales while on tour.

Tim Graham/Getty Images

Buckingham announced today that Prince Harry will honor his late mother Princess Diana's work in Africa, specifically in Angola, with the Halo Trust foundation that works to rid the world of leftover land mines.

Diana sought to bring awareness to the presence of land mines in civil-war-torn areas. Just a few months before her tragic death, the late princess was pictured wearing a visor and walking through a field of active mines in the country when one detonated nearby.

Samir Hussein/Getty Images

The announcement said the duke is "especially proud" to continue his mother's legacy, and he's even expected to walk in his mother's literal footsteps when she toured the minefields of Angola in 1997.

On day four of the royal Africa tour, he'll visit and spend the night at a de-mining camp outside Dirco, southeastern Angola, where he will remotely detonate a mine. (Meghan and Archie will remain in Cape Town, South Africa, during this leg of the visit.)

On day five, Harry will meet with the governor of Huambo, Joana Lina, who was also the official host for Princess Diana's visit that she took shortly before her death. They will travel together to the orthopedic center that Diana also visited during her time there, and reveal the center's renovations and a brand-new name that pays tribute to the late Princess of Wales.

The good news: We have two weeks to stock up on plenty of tissues for what are sure to be an endless amount of heartbreaking moments during this super-significant journey.

Roberta Fiorito

Director, Branded Content + Cohost, Royally Obsessed Podcast

As Director of Branded Content at Gallery Media Group, Roberta helps oversee the ideation and execution of sponsored content and experiential campaigns across PureWow and ONE37pm, including PureWow’s 24 in ’24. She began her career in editorial nine years ago, and has written and edited countless articles on news, trends, fashion, beauty and the royal family. She’s also cohost of the Royally Obsessed podcast, named one of the best royals podcasts by The New York Times and Town & Country. She cowrote the book Royal Trivia: Your Guide to the Modern British Royal Family.

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