In the minefield of royal relationships, Harry hopes to have hit a turning point

Telegraph

17-07-2025

The emotive photographs of Prince Harry walking through a minefield are reminiscent of a different time.
For despite the groundswell of public resentment directed towards the King's younger son in recent years, his return to Angola is a reminder of the little boy who lost his mother and the man determined to honour her legacy.
The last time Harry made this trip was in September 2019. He and Meghan were then still working members of the Royal family, if only hanging on by a thread.
It came amid the couple's successful tour of southern Africa with their baby son, Archie. Harry remained firmly committed to his humanitarian and conservationist causes while his wife was making a name for herself as a champion of female empowerment and women's rights.
But things soon fell apart. Within weeks the couple had decided to quit royal duties, prompting an extraordinary tug-of-war with the palace over the terms of their exit deal, the consequences of which still reverberate today.
The Duke became known more for his whinging on television and podcasts than his charity work. Bitter and wounded, he was out to settle scores and he executed that mission to devastating effect.
Behind the scenes, he continued to hold regular meetings with his remaining charity affiliations but the coronavirus pandemic put paid to any travel or public engagements.
His daughter, Princess Lilibet, was born and he stepped back from his work to focus on his young family.
Throughout the public focus has been, if not on the public airing of grievances, almost entirely on the Sussexes' five-year Netflix deal, their new Hollywood lives and this apparent shift towards making their fortune – or becoming 'financially independent'.
Harry's many legal battles against the tabloid press also dominated the headlines and shaped public perceptions. Once one of the most popular members of the Royal family, his approval ratings plummeted.
In March 2018, for example, Ipsos Mori polling recorded his popularity at 65 per cent favourable and 10 per cent unfavourable. By April this year, it was 26 per cent favourable and 47 per cent unfavourable.
All but one of the Duke's High Court fights are now over, including a long-running, deeply personal mission to win back his right to automatic state-funded police protection.
That fight was unsuccessful, although the issue remains a sticking point and one he still hopes to resolve.
The BBC interview that followed his unsuccessful bid to overturn the ruling somehow morphed from a brief chat to a 30-minute stream of consciousness in which he railed against his father and complained of an 'establishment stitch-up', while also admitting he had no idea how long the King had left to live.
Despite this, he expressed a clear desire for a rapprochement, saying, 'I would love reconciliation with my family.'
The interview did nothing to curry favour at Buckingham Palace, where it was met with raised eyebrows and weary resignation. Even those close to the Duke recognised that it may not have been the smartest move.
It was not as if there had been no warning. The hugely damaging allegations made by the Sussexes in their Oprah Winfrey interview of March 2021 have not been forgotten, similarly the revelations and indiscretions peppered throughout their three-part Netflix series, Harry & Meghan
Wiser heads may now prevail. The Telegraph understands that television interviews are currently very much ruled out.
Despite the furore prompted by those latest missiles fired via the TV cameras, the underlying sentiment was plain to see.
Leaked secret meeting
A little more than two months later, two of the Duke's most senior – and newly appointed – aides sat down for drinks with the King's communications director.
The meeting was leaked, much to the frustration of all three protagonists, but the fact it had happened at all was revelatory.
It was fortuitous then, that the next sighting of Harry was in Angola.
The trip marks a return to a country that holds deep personal significance. It was a reminder of the man determined to follow in his mother's footsteps and campaign for change (just hours after landing in Luanda, he secured a three-year pledge for support from the Angolan government).
The photographs of the Duke walking through a cleared path in Cuito Cuanavale, Africa's largest minefield, wearing protective equipment, drew inevitable comparisons with his late mother. That was the whole point.
Harry met local families and children for whom the dangers of landmines still loom large 28 years after Diana, Princess of Wales, famously visited the country.
'Children should never have to live in fear of playing outside or walking to school,' he said.
'Here in Angola, over three decades later, the remnants of war still threaten lives every day.'
The Duke travelled to the African country with the Halo Trust, the same charity with which his mother worked. Crucially, he made the trip without Meghan.
Having made a virtue of being entwined at the hip throughout the first few years of their US adventure, the Sussexes concluded some time ago that they must focus on their own individual professional endeavours.
For Harry, that has always been charity work. And continuing his mother's legacy is among the most important.
The images of him surrounded by children and laughing with them harks back to the old days, when he was best known for his natural ability to engage and win hearts.
Harry returns to the UK for a packed week of charity engagements in September. He will attend the annual WellChild Awards where he will again salute the 'little legends' living with serious illnesses, and attend meetings and events with a host of other organisations.
His focus beyond then will remain on his charity work. While Meghan pursues commercial success selling jam and wine, he will plough on with the causes he cares about, perhaps taking on new ones too.
The Birmingham 2027 Invictus Games may be some time away but will represent a significant moment for the Duke, requiring careful planning and diplomacy if he is to stand shoulder to shoulder with his father.
There is a long, long way to go. But if he can keep his head down, this week's events could signal a turning point for Harry, professionally and personally.