When Meghan Markle and Prince Harry land in Colombia this week for their second “quasi-royal tour,” they will no doubt be hoping the trip will boost their image on the world stage.
The Sussexes will begin their four-day tour of the crime-ravaged South American country on Thursday, visiting the capital Bogota, the historic colonial city of Cartagena on the Caribbean coast and Cali, where they will attend a cultural festival.
Arriving at the invitation of Colombian Vice President Francia Márquez (the first black woman to hold that office), the faux-royal duo will, according to Márquez, “have the rare opportunity to interact with elders, youth and women who embody the aspirations and voices of Colombians… and to illuminate Colombia’s role as a beacon of culture and innovation.”
The trip will allow Meghan, who celebrated her 43rd birthday on Sunday, to show off her fluent Spanish, which she learned at a private school in Los Angeles and honed at the U.S. Embassy in Argentina.
But for many Colombians, the Sussexes’ visit is seen as little more than a cynical attempt by a failing left-wing government to use the glamorous couple as “political pawns” to divert attention from a series of scandals that have engulfed the regime.
The trip to Colombia will allow Meghan (pictured in March at a polo match in Lagos, Nigeria), who celebrated her 43rd birthday last Sunday, to show off her fluent Spanish that she learned at a private school in Los Angeles and honed at the U.S. Embassy in Argentina.
The Sussexes will arrive at the invitation of Colombian Vice President Francia Márquez (the first black woman to hold that position).
The couple are expected to stay in the £2,500-a-night presidential suite at the Sofitel Legend Hotel in Cartagena (pictured)
A prominent Bogotá lawyer told the MoS: ‘I’m sure Meghan and Harry mean well, but everyone here is talking about how obvious they are being manipulated.
“Of course, their stardom will be used to draw attention to the poor and certain sectors of Colombian culture… but the reality is that the Colombian government has been mired in scandal since it took power two years ago. They need something that will appease people at home and make them look good abroad.”
Vice President Marquez’s office told the State Ministry yesterday that the trip would begin on Thursday, but did not reveal any details.
And a spokesman said all but three of the events would be “under the control” of the vice president’s office, which would carefully select the images and video clips to be released to the public.
In Colombia, the Sussexes decided to visit one of the most dangerous hotspots in the world, where UK and US government websites warn travellers about terrorism, kidnappings and high levels of street crime, rape and robbery.
Prince Harry and Meghan walk out after meeting students at the Lightway Academy in Abuja, Nigeria, on May 10.
Vice President Márquez, 42, has made headlines around the world for her remarkable story as a very poor woman who worked as a domestic worker while raising her two children as a single mother.
The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office says it “advises against all but essential travel to parts of Colombia.” The affected areas are shaded orange on the map above.
Harry and Meghan will visit Bogotá (pictured) as part of their tour of Colombia
Neither the Colombian government, police or military would discuss security arrangements for the Sussexes, but a well-informed source told this newspaper that security costs would be covered by the Colombian taxpayer.
‘They will be with the vice president and she has a lot of security because there have been assassination attempts on her life,’ they said.
“But people are complaining about why the Colombian taxpayer should foot what will be huge security costs for what is essentially a PR exercise for the Sussexes and for a government that desperately needs to divert attention from its failures.”
President Gustavo Petro, a radical leftist who once fought in a rebel guerrilla group, came to power in 2022 promising to help poor Colombians with free health care, better education and social welfare plans for single mothers and battered women.
But Petro’s son has been accused of corruption and faces up to 25 years in prison on multiple charges.
In July, the president was accused of cheating on his wife, Verónica Alcocer, with transgender television host Linda Yepes. They were photographed walking hand in hand during a trip to the neighbouring country of Panama.
President Gustavo Petro (pictured), a radical leftist who once fought in a rebel guerrilla group, came to power in 2022 promising to help poor Colombians with free health care, better education and social welfare schemes for single mothers and battered women.
Harry and Meghan pose for a photo as they attend a programme held at the Armed Forces Complex in Abuja, Nigeria on May 11.
Petro has not denied the alleged affair, but has said his personal life should remain private.
Vice President Márquez, 42, also made headlines around the world for her remarkable story as a very poor woman who worked as a domestic worker while raising her two children as a single mother.
She became an activist fighting against illegal gold mines and led a women’s march from the town of La Toma to Bogotá demanding social justice.
She was put in charge of Colombia’s first Equality Ministry in 2023, which critics say has yet to do anything meaningful with the millions of pesos in its budget.
A source said: “He came in promising to help the poor, especially women. Instead, like everyone who tastes power, he is enjoying it.”
Márquez has been accused of using helicopters “as taxis” (she says she uses them because of threats against her) and of spending millions on a new house where she now lives instead of the vice president’s official residence.
Harry and Meghan arrive at Lagos Airport for the official State Welcome on May 12, 2024 in Lagos, Nigeria
Meghan poses for a photograph at an exhibition volleyball match for Nigeria Unconquered, a community charity dedicated to helping wounded, injured or sick servicemen, as part of the Invictus Games anniversary celebrations in Abuja, Nigeria, on May 11.
Rep. Miguel Polo Polo wrote on X: ‘Francia Marquez is the biggest fraud in our black community. She has been in office for two years and has done nothing but play the victim and ride in a helicopter.’
Meghan and Harry will arrive next week amid this toxic atmosphere. The couple hit trouble on their first royal trip to Nigeria in May, when this newspaper revealed that one of the Nigerian “kings” courting them was, in fact, a convicted criminal who had been deported from the US twice.
The couple are expected to stay in the presidential suite at the Sofitel Legend Hotel in Cartagena, which costs £2,500 a night. The third-floor room comes with its own butler, a plunge pool and enjoys panoramic views of the city and the Caribbean Sea.
As King Charles and the rest of the senior royals, including cancer-stricken Princess Catherine, holiday at Balmoral, one wonders whether they will be following coverage of the quasi-royal visit taking place 5,000 miles away.
And if so, what will they do with all this?