Yahoo Finance 'The Crown' Recreates Princess Diana's Landmark Trip to Angola
BACKGRID / SplashNews.com; John Stillwell - PA Images/PA Images via Getty
Elizabeth Debicki is back in character as Princess Diana.
The 32-year-old Australian actress was spotted in costume on the set of The Crown in Spain. Debicki looked just like Diana in a navy blazer layered over a t-shirt paired with light wash jeans, navy sneakers and gold earrings — similar to the outfit Princess Diana wore to give the speech that kicked off her iconic visit to Angola.
The Princess of Wales addressed the press at Luanda Airport in January 1997.
"It's an enormous privilege for me to have been invited here to Angola in order to assist the Red Cross in its campaign to ban, once and for all, anti-personnel landmines," Princess Diana said in a brief speech. "There couldn't be a more appropriate place to begin this campaign than Angola because this nation has the highest number of amputees per population than anywhere in the world."
"By visiting Angola, we shall gain an understanding of the plight of the victims of landmines, and how survivors are helped to recover from their injuries," she continued. "We'll also be able to observe the wider implications of these devastating weapons on the life of this country as a whole. It is my sincere hope that by working together in the next few days, we shall focus world attention on this vital — but until now, largely neglected — issue."
RELATED: 'The Crown' Is Searching for Their Prince Harry — and No Previous Acting Experience Is Required
BACKGRID / SplashNews.com
Two days later, Princess Diana made history when she walked across an active minefield to broadcast the call for an international ban on landmines.
Following Diana's death in August 1997, one of her key legacies was the signing of the Ottawa Mine Ban Treaty, which called for all countries to unite to rid the world of landmines.
Tim Graham Picture Library/Getty
Twenty-two years later, her son Prince Harry retraced his mother's footsteps, walking through a partially cleared minefield with The HALO Trust, the same charity Diana worked with decades before.
"It has been emotional retracing my mother's steps along this street 22 years on, and to see the transformation that has taken place, from an unsafe and desolate place into a vibrant community of local businesses and colleges," Harry, 38, said in a speech at the site in 2019.
RELATED: Sophie, Countess of Wessex Becomes First British Royal to Visit the Democratic Republic of the Congo
PA Wire/PA Images (2) Prince Harry in 2019 and Princess Diana in 1997
"This is a wonderful example of how the U.K. partnership with Angola can address the issue of landmines, bringing prosperity to an area, creating jobs, helping people access education and healthcare, and making communities safer," Prince Harry said. "The work of de-mining is dangerous, expensive and laborious, and I have the utmost admiration and respect for all who do this hazardous work and risk their lives in service of their community."
"I am incredibly proud as I know my mother would've been, of the role that the United Kingdom has played in this transformation through funding and the expertise brought by UK specialist organizations such as the HALO Trust and Mines Advisory Group," he continued.
Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!
'It's an emotional moment for him.'
Royal editor @chrisshipitv reports as Prince Harry detonates a landmine as he retraces his mother Princess Diana's steps in Angola.
#GMB pic.twitter.com/fIJBnUAll0— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) September 27, 2019
Earlier in the day, the prince visited a HALO Trust mine site outside Dirico in Angola, where he remotely detonated a mine and met with members of the community to learn how the de-mining efforts are benefitting the local population. Harry also gave a speech about the importance of clearing landmines.
"Later today I will visit Huambo, to see the place where my mother walked through a minefield in 1997. Once heavily mined, the second city of Angola is now safe," he said. "With the right international support, this land around us here can also be like Huambo — a landmine-free, diverse, dynamic and thriving community, connected to and benefitting from all that it has to offer."
