Newly released BBC archive clips offer an intimate look at Princess Diana’s landmine walk in Angola on 15 January 1997, an event that sparked a global conversation and marked a turning point in the fight against the lethal devices.
The image of Diana, wearing a protective visor and flak jacket, walking through a live minefield in Huambo made headlines worldwide. She visited Angola as a guest of the International Red Cross during a fragile peace in the nation’s 20-year civil war, which had left the country contaminated by more than 15 million landmines. At the time, one in every 330 Angolans had lost a limb.
“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,” she told journalists at the airport. Walking a cleared path alongside Halo Trust mine removal expert Paul Heslop, she challenged governments to stop ignoring the suffering caused by landmines.
Her advocacy clashed with UK government policy, prompting Junior Defence Minister Earl Howe to call her a “loose cannon” and “ill-informed”. An exasperated Diana replied: “I’m not a political figure, nor do I want to be one. I come with my heart… I am a humanitarian figure, always have been and always will be.”
Her efforts boosted funding for demining and galvanised governments, leading to the Ottawa Treaty in 1999, which aimed to eliminate anti-personnel landmines. Tony Blair pledged to ratify the treaty in time for the anniversary of her death. However, key countries including the US, Russia, China, Israel and Iran have not signed the treaty, and the landmine issue remains unresolved.
