‘My mother would be so proud’

Prince Harry said his mother Diana, Princess of Wales, would be “proud” of his work supporting an anti-landmine charity she championed.

Harry’s comments came at the end of the first day of his tour of the US .

Harry gave a speech in support of the anti-landmine charity The Halo Trust at a British embassy reception attended by US policymakers, supporters of the anti-landmine charity and potential donors.

The royal, who is patron of the trust’s 25th anniversary appeal, told the guests: “My mother, who believed passionately in this cause, would be proud of my association with Halo.

“In her special way, she adopted it as her own. She would join me – along with all of you, I’m sure – in praising Halo for the amazing work that it has done over the past quarter century, and in hoping that one day soon its humanitarian work will be done.”

He added: “At any one time, Halo has seven thousand deminers in the field, striving to protect peopleand banish the fear that pervades the lives of millions around the world.

“In Sri Lanka, Mozambique, Kosovo, in Somalia, Georgia and Armenia, the threat of landmines could be eradicated in the next five years, if funding can be sustained.

“If it were stepped up, in the next 10 years, countries like Cambodia, Angola, Colombia, Afghanistan, Burma and even Zimbabwe might have their landmine crises eliminated for good.” (PA)