Duke of Sussex steps up to persuade Angola of Commonwealth benefits
Visit will focus on landmine hazard in a country on the cusp of joining organisation
IT IS one of his grandmother’s greatest legacies, the Commonwealth family of nations that has grown under her reign into her pride and joy.
So when the Duke of Sussex visits Angola later this month, he will have quite a task on his hands as he attempts to cement Britain’s relationship with a country on the cusp of joining.
Angola, one of the four countries the Duke will visit as part of his tour in Africa with his wife and baby son, has indicated that it hopes to become the 54th country in the Commonwealth, and the first newcomer in a decade.
The former Portuguese colony would become the third Commonwealth nation not to have been part of the British Empire, after Mozambique and Rwanda.
The Government has suggested it would warmly welcome its inclusion, with those planning the tour considering the attentions of the Royal family a way of “demonstrating the attraction of that new network of partners”.
The Duke, who has been appointed as a Commonwealth Youth Ambassador by the Queen, has already spoken of his ambition to work with the young people of the organisation.
On his trip to Angola, which he will undertake without the Duchess as she remains in South Africa with Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, he will meet with senior politicians, including Joana Lina, the governor of Huambo province, and João Lourenço, the president.
Royal tours, which are financially supported by the British public, must be seen to align with the objectives of the Government and further the country’s interests abroad. The Sussexes’ visits to South Africa, Angola and Malawi all fall under this remit, while the Duke’s stay in Botswana – classified differently as a “short working visit” – gives him the freedom to focus on his own pet projects centred on conservation and his charity Sentebale.
While the Duke has seemed more at ease with the public than with politicians, his role as the Queen’s ambassador to her Commonwealth will add a new dimension to his diplomatic role.
South Africa, Botswana and Malawi are already members, and Mr Lourenço said last year that he would seek to join.
Speaking ahead of the royal tour, a senior source involved in its planning said: “There is very much a Commonwealth theme to this visit. Angola, is interested in becoming a member.
“So there’s a nice thing there about demonstrating the attraction of that new network of partners.”
A Foreign Office source added that the Duke and Duchess were considered “fantastic ambassadors” for Britain to the “vibrant” continent of Africa, and its “extremely young” populations.
The Angolan visit will focus on landmines, with the Duke highlighting the legacy of his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, in the region.
He will spend an evening in a Halo Trust demining camp, before he remotely detonates a mine in a field outside Dirico and makes a speech about the importance of the issue to rural communities, which are often left isolated by dangerous leftover weapons.
He will also undertake an “official” section of the trip, travelling to Huambo to meet Ms Lina, who was also the official host for the Princess’s visit in 1997.
At Huambo Orthopaedic Centre, which was also visited by his mother, he will spend time with the minister for health before attending a reception at the British Ambassador’s Residence to meet businessmen and women working with the UK.
On Sept 28, the Duke will have an audience with Mr Lourenço at the presidential palace.