Who Will Be King? Prince Harry Vows To Keep Princess Diana's Promise Of Ending Dangerous Landmine Explosions

Princess Diana embarked on a global mission to eradicate the world of dangerous explosive landmines, typically leftover from times of war and violence across Africa, the Balkans and other regions, just before her untimely death in 1997.

Two decades later, her son Prince Harry was picking up where she left off, vowing to continue leading arduous efforts international organizations have created to remove the dangerous explosives from all civilian areas worldwide while supporting victims of landmine detonations.

Read: Who Will Be Queen? Why Kate Middleton Has Been Copying Elizabeth’s Grace And Style

The prince addressed his mother’s goals during a keynote speech while hosting the Landmine Free 2025 reception at Kensington Palace in London. "Twenty years ago, in the last months of her life, my mother campaigned to draw attention to the horrific and indiscriminate impact of landmines," Harry said. "She met with those who had suffered life-changing injuries as a result of anti-personnel mines, she listened to their stories, and helped share them with the world."

Prince Harry’s latest speech marked yet another initiative he has taken on in 2017 and possibly signaled a slight divestment of power from Queen Elizabeth to younger members of the royal family. The move came at a time when Harry, Prince William and Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge formerly known as Kate Middleton, have accepted new representative roles for dozens of charities and international humanitarian organizations.

Queen Elizabeth, the longest-reigning monarch alive, handed down several of her titles to her grandchildren after suffering a weeks-long health scare from a severe cold at the turn of the New Year that forced her absence from a number of royal festivities and holiday events.

Prince Harry was not the next in line to assume the royal throne upon his grandmother’s passing or abdication. Instead, the queen’s 68-year old son Charles, Prince of Wales, will ultimately gain power, while titles and responsibilities for the rest of the royal family will almost certainly undergo a major transformation.

But when it comes to his mother’s efforts to rid the world of landmines, Harry said his efforts weren’t simply a symbolic undertaking; the mission is close to his heart, as it was Princess Diana's.

"She met with those who had suffered life-changing injuries as a result of anti-personnel mines, she listened to their stories, and helped share them with the world," Harry said, describing an encounter Diana had with two young boys named Malic and Zarko.

"When my mother said goodbye to Zarko that August… she told him he would not be forgotten," Harry continued. "Please help me keep her word to Zarko and Malic, and other people like them throughout the world, who still need us to finish the job and rid the planet of landmines."