Prince Harry's solo trip to Angola has put the prince back in the spotlight and sparked discussion about his changing role in the public eye, perhaps one more anchored in humanitarian efforts than in Hollywood.

The Duke of Sussex arrived in the southern African country earlier this week without his wife Meghan Markle and their two children.

The visit was only announced after he arrived in a region still pitted with minefields and still hurting after decades of strife, as Harry retraced the footsteps of Princess Diana, who visited in 1997.

Following Diana's Legacy

Harry was visiting Angola with the Halo Trust, the landmine clearance charity for which he is patron. During his visit he met families in a remote village and underlined the ongoing perils of landmines more than 30 years after a civil war ended. The country is still highly dangerous with unexploded ordnance.

Harry's images of walking through mine-infested regions in protective clothing brought inescapable references with them, naturally, to his late mother. Diana famously walked a similar route in Huambo in 1997.

Royal commentator Jennie Bond, who accompanied Diana on the visit, considered the significance of Harry's return. "I was with Diana in Angola all those years ago, and the impact she made by walking across a minefield was enormous," she told The Mirror.. "She told me she was simply trying to be a humanitarian, and that is something Harry can also aspire to."

Harry's meeting with Sandra, a girl who lost her leg to a land mine and whom Diana had encountered in 1997, was too a poignant touchpoint to his mother's legacy, Bond said. "Years later, Harry met Sandra in Angola and reflected on all his mother had done."

Turning Away from Hollywood

Harry's visit is not only a tribute to Bond's mother, however, it also represents a move from the celebrity-focused strategy he and Meghan pursued after breaking from the royal family in 2020.

"I think this is precisely the sort of work that Harry should do," Bond said. "It is not only a hugely worthwhile cause, but it also connects him with his mother, which is something he yearns for."

She also hinted that Harry is ditching Los Angeles celebrity culture more and more, by the day. "He is coming to recognise that the LA celebrity world is one in which he is not especially comfortable," she noted, adding that Harry "seems quite willing to let Meghan take the limelight over there."

Harry has spoken often about leading a life of service, and Bond believes this trip aligns with that vision. "Trips like this certainly serve a very good cause indeed," she said.

More than 60,000 Angolans have been killed or maimed by land mines in the last decade, according to the Halo Trust. The group has since cleared more than 120,000 landmines and 100,000 bombs around the country.

Harry's visit also sends a message that confirms years of humanitarian work in Angola, the Halo Trust said in a statement after he left. "That visit showcased how once-dangerous land could be transformed into a safe and thriving community," the group said.

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Prince Harry, Meghan Markle