On July 15, Prince Harry traveled to Angola to back the HALO Trust’s mission to clear landmines.
In a tribute to his late mother, Princess Diana, he retraced her famous walk through a minefield, aiming to spotlight the dangers that active landmines still pose.
Just three days after the symbolic visit, Harry headed to neighboring Botswana—this time without Meghan Markle or their two children—to spend time with his “second family,” filmmakers Tania “TJ” Jenkins and Mike Holding.
Going “Off-Grid” in Africa
According to the Daily Mail, Harry went completely “off-grid” during his Angola stay, remaining unreachable for three days. Once his HALO Trust commitments wrapped up, he reconnected with Jenkins and Holding, whom he considers a “second mother” and a key part of his life before meeting Meghan. The trip extended to a full week away from Markle, Prince Archie, and Princess Lilibet.
A source shared, “He took some more time and space, and made the trip into a week-long visit to reconnect with old friends and get some headspace away from his phone and emails.” They added, “It was a good moment for Harry to take some time away from everything, enjoying total peace of mind and being somewhere so remote that he couldn’t even get emails or texts or calls.”
A Deep Bond Formed in Botswana
Jenkins and Holding played a significant role in Harry’s life long before his royal exit. They appeared in Harry and Meghan’s Netflix documentary, capturing moments in Botswana.
In his memoir Spare, Harry described being drawn to their passion for wildlife: “She and Mike were the first people ever to cherish whatever wildness was still inside me, whatever hadn’t been lost to grief—and paps. They were outraged that others wanted to eliminate this last bit, that others were keen to put me into a cage.”
He also recalled Jenkins telling him, “‘I think your body was born in Britain, but your soul was born here in Africa.’” Their connection was so strong that just a month into dating Meghan, Harry flew her to Botswana to meet them.
“I called her [Jenkins] Mom all the time. It felt good. For both of us. Though I made a point, always, to call her Mom, rather than Mum. There was only one Mum,” he wrote. In the same memoir, Harry thanked Jenkins and Holding for helping him recover lost memories, referring to them as his “second family in Botswana.”
Supporting Angola’s Children
During his visit to Angola, GB News reported that Harry gave repeated instructions in Portuguese to teach local children how to identify and avoid landmines. His extended solo trip stood out, as it’s rare for him to be away from his Montecito home without Meghan and the children for more than a couple of days. Typically, his solo travels abroad see him return within two or three days.