“During the Crown Season 6, Diana’s charitable work is highlighted, showcasing her ability to connect not only with members of the royal family but also with ordinary people and the most vulnerable in society. In one episode, Diana is at Mohammed al-Fayed’s Harrods, discussing her upcoming trip to Bosnia as part of her efforts to raise awareness for landmine clearance initiatives. In January 1997, Princess Diana drew international attention to the issue of landmines when she traveled to a minefield in Angola to support the efforts of the Halo Trust, a group focused on mine clearance. At that time, approximately 25,000 civilians were killed or injured by landmines each year, as reported by Time in 1997. Princess Diana wrote in a letter to the British Red Cross, ‘If my journey has contributed in any way to bring this dreadful issue into the open, then my deep desire has been fulfilled.'”
“Her journey did just that. A few months after her death in a car accident in Paris, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) won the Nobel Peace Prize, and in December, the Ottawa Mine Ban Treaty was signed.
The highlighted trip to Bosnia in the latest season of The Crown took place a few weeks before her death, starting in August 1997. Diana had visited Bosnia in the early 1990s during the Bosnian War, meeting with victims of the conflict. She celebrated the birthday of Muhammad Suljkanović, who lost both his legs in a minefield accident, and visited the home of Franjo Kresik, who lost both his legs and eyesight due to landmines. Kresik told Time, ‘She wanted to know everything, how I survived, how my wife helped me survive, how we coped with it. At first, I was depressed—having a princess in your house was a big deal.’ In 1997, Diana passed away. ‘But after some time, it felt like we had known each other for a long time. She wanted to see my stump; she looked toward my eyes. I couldn’t see her clearly, but it’s more than that. Someone who sees tells more about what he feels.‘
Diana’s sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, have continued her work to raise awareness about the dangers of landmines. In 2019, Prince Harry retraced his mother’s steps in Angola, marking 22 years since her visit to a minefield. Both princes have advocated for landmine clearance, with Prince Harry celebrating the work of the Halo Trust in Angola in 2019 and Prince William declaring the Falklands mine-free in 2020 with a recorded video message, calling landmines ‘cruel and indiscriminate weapons.'”
