Prince Harry thanks brave HALO workers clearing explosives in Ukraine

Prince Harry thanked HALO Trust charity workers clearing explosives on the front line in Ukraine during a touching video call on Friday. The Duke of Sussex , 41, joined the call and encouraged key workers Olesia and Maryn to 'keep doing what you're doing' as he praised them for their life-saving work. The prince has been a patron of the trust since 2019, but has supported their cause since 2011 and has worked with them to diffuse and clear landmines across the world. His work with the charity mirrors his mother Princess Diana's patronage of the organisation which, in January 1997, saw her walk across a minefield in Angola.

More recently, Harry has been raising awareness about explosive safety in Ukraine as he asked workers how they had been coping with recent shelling as the war with Russia continues. Olesia and Maryn explained that it was a difficult time, telling Harry 'life has turned upside down' and they felt trapped in a 'nightmare'. They said: 'Life has turned upside down for the last two weeks. Sometimes it seems to me that this is just a nightmare and I'm going to wake up soon.' Offering encouragement, Harry replied: 'I mean, you guys are saving lives every single day. I know you're part of HALO, so that's exactly what you signed up to do, and I know that you're going to continue doing the work that is so desperately needed for HALO, for your families and your country.

He then asked how people can help, and the two workers explained that by spreading their safety messages to those in danger and donating, HALO could continue their important work. Harry's support of the charity goes back over a decade, and last year, he travelled to Angola to complete a landmine walk like his mother did nearly three decades before him. The prince also walked the minefield back in 2013, which has now been transformed, thanks to clearance by Angolan men and women trained by HALO. His work in the central African nation comes after the country's government pledged £46million to create wildlife corridors in 2019 and protect endangered species in conservation areas.

It also set a target of clearing all landmines by 2025, and Harry hopes that his presence there will boost efforts to meet the target. HALO has cleared more than 123,000 landmines since 1994, and works to transform former war zones into farmland, national parks and 'safe' villages. Despite the progress made, more than 1,000 minefields remain across Angola. Princess Diana's walk in 1997 took place when the nation experienced a brief period of peace following a two-decade civil war that had left the country contaminated by more than 15 million landmines.

Wearing a HALO Trust flak jacket and helmet, the striking photographs of the royal went down in history, particularly as she died later that year in a car crash. At least 60,000 people have been killed or injured by landmines in Angola since 2008, although the exact number of casualties is not known and is likely to be higher. His video call comes after Prince Harry spoke on another issue close to his heart in Los Angeles, tearing up as he spoke to families whose children had died after using social media.

The Duke of Sussex fought back tears in front of the bereaved parents after a major court case to examine the mental health effects of Instagram and YouTube began. An emotional Harry, who was with his wife Meghan, praised the families for 'telling your stories over and over again' amid his hopes for 'truth, justice and accountability'. In a video of his comments shown on BBC Breakfast today, the Duke referenced his own recent court battles, which relate to his security and claims against the media.