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Prince Harry will follow in Princess Diana’s footsteps when he visits Africa

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Prince Harry. (Photo: Getty Images)
Prince Harry. (Photo: Getty Images)

Cape Town – When Prince Harry embarks on his upcoming royal tour of Africa, he'll be following in his late mother, Princess Diana's footsteps.

Just this week the Duke of Sussex expressed his excitement about introducing his family to South Africa and spoke candidly about his love for the African continent.

"I can't wait to introduce my wife and son to South Africa," he said.

"In just a few weeks our family will be taking its first official tour to Africa, a region of the world that over the past two decades has been a second home to me."

READ MORE HERE: A special message from Prince Harry: 'I can't wait to introduce my wife and son to South Africa! We'll see all of you very soon.'

Harry spoke about the meaningful work they're planning on doing – and much of it champions causes close to Princess Diana's heart.

The duke previously visited Angola in 2013 to support the clearing of landmines. And in October, he is due to attend a conference on landmine clearance while in the country – a cause his mother endorsed in 1997 when she too visited Angola and stepped out into an active minefield.

Her steps had a huge impact on the movement to ban the controversial weapon.

Harry is also a patron of Sentebale, a charity which supports children and young people living with HIV and AIDS in Lesotho, Botswana and Malawi – countries where the virus remains a leading cause of death.

Long before she met with the late Nelson Mandela in Cape Town in 1997 to discuss the epidemic, Princess Diana famously worked very hard to de-stigmatise the disease in the 80s.

In 1987, Diana opened the UK's first purpose-built HIV/AIDS unit at Middlesex Hospital in London. In front of the world with the media snapping away, she shook hands with patients living with the illness.

Significantly, she did so without gloves, challenging the incorrect notion at the time that HIV/AIDS could be passed by touch.   

READ NEXT: 3 very special events that prove the British royal family’s unequivocal love affair with Africa

Compiled by Bashiera Parker

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