Prince Harry has remembered his late mother Princess Diana in an emotional speech in honour of International Mine Awareness Day.
The late royal was tragically killed in a car crash in Paris, France, in 1997, and just a few months before her death she was seen walking across a mine field in Angola as she campaigned for the world to be free of land mines.
Now, her 32-year-old son Prince Harry is continuing her work as he hosted a meeting at Kensington Palace on Tuesday (04.04.17) which called for the world to have completely banned the use of land mines by 2025.
Before making his speech, Harry introduced two men – named Malic and Žarko – to the audience, and revealed they had both met Princess Diana as young boys after they both lost legs to land mines in Bosnia.
Prince Harry said in his speech: "She shared their stories with the world, and helped campaigners – many of whom are in this room – to change history.
"Those two young boys, Malic and Žarko, are now grown men and are with us today. 20 years on, they both still struggle with their physical and emotional injuries and with the high costs of replacing their prosthetics.
"When my mother said goodbye to Žarko that August, just weeks before her untimely death, she told him he would not be forgotten.
"Please help me keep her word to Žarko and Malic, and other people like them throughout the world, who still need us to finish the job and rid the planet of landmines.
"Collectively we have the knowledge, skill, and resources to achieve it, so let’s make future generations proud."
And Žarko, who is now 33 and unemployed, recalled meeting Harry’s mother as he spoke to the flame-haired royal after his speech.
He told Harry: "I was so surprised when I saw her. I could not believe my eyes – it was a princess, wearing blue jeans.
"I remember her words when she was leaving. She told us, ‘You are not going to be forgotten.’
"What she said gave me a lot of strength whenever I have had hard times.
"When she got killed I could not believe it. I felt like a part of me had disappeared. I had a sinking feeling."
Meanwhile, Prince Harry also praised the efforts of his mother, saying that despite the backlash she received for bringing to light a topic that wasn’t "universally popular", she continued her work in order to help people.
He said: "At the time, the attention my mother brought to this issue wasn’t universally popular. Some believed she had stepped over the line into the arena of political campaigning. But for her this wasn’t about politics; it was about people."
Prince Harry remembers late mother in emotional speech
