Prince Harry becomes nostalgic seeing a picture of Princess Diana in South Africa

hello-usa
Updated

On the final day of his week-long tour in South Africa, Prince Harry enjoyed a guided tour of Nelson Mandela's former offices. Upon arriving at the former president's residence in Johannesburg, the 31-year-old was drawn to a picture of his late mother during her trip to meet Mandela in South Africa.

Diana met Nelson Mandela during a private visit to South Africa in March 1997 – just five months before her tragic death. A photo of their meeting lay among a number of other documents and artifacts from the world leader's life, but understandably Harry was initially focused on finding out more about his mother's time in South Africa.

Gazing at the photo of them together, the Prince said: "Happy smiles, big smiles."

Prince Harry was drawn to a photo of his late mother Photo: Getty Images

Verne Harris, director of The Nelson Mandela Foundation, said: "The Prince was drawn to the picture of his mother, he went straight to it when he walked through the door. He wanted to know when it was taken."

During his time at the offices, Harry also met with Nelson Mandela's widow Graca Machele. The 31-year-old held the statesman with high regard. Upon hearing of the leader's death during his visit to the South Pole, he paid tribute by putting the South African flag in the ground.

Harry met Nelson Mandela's widow Graca Machel Photo: Getty Images

Harry presented Graca with a picture of the moment he planted the flag soon after Nelson's death on December 5, 2013. The Prince was trekking in the South Pole as part of the Walking with the Wounded South Pole Allied Challenge when the leader died, while his brother Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge were watching the London premiere of Nelson Mandela: A Long Walk to Freedom and were told the news as the movie ended.

It was the Prince's final day of engagements in South Africa and culminated a week-long trip that saw him carry out a number of tasks including opening his charity Sentebale's new children's centre in Lesotho, playing tag rugby with a group of children in Durban, and joining the fight against poaching at Kruger National Park.