Harry and Meghan arrived in Colombia at the start of a four-day visit to the Latin American nation, their second so-called quasi-royal tour after a trip to Nigeria earlier this year.
The Duchess of Sussex was invited to the country by Vice President Francia Márquez after learning more about her story through the couple’s two-part documentary on Netflix.
They were photographed smiling and walking hand in hand shortly after meeting Ms Marquez earlier today.
Meghan wore a navy summer suit, reportedly from American brand Veronica Beard, and carried a light-coloured handbag, while Harry wore a matching dark suit and light blue shirt.
The couple have a busy schedule for the next few days on their royal tour, three months after their visit to Nigeria.
Meghan and Harry arrived in Colombia for their four-day visit
They were invited to the country by Vice President Francia Márquez (pictured), who was “moved” by Meghan’s story told in the Netflix documentary released in 2022.
The couple are expected to stay in the £2,500-a-night presidential suite at the Sofitel Legend Hotel in Cartagena.
They were invited to Colombia for their quasi-royal tour after the country’s vice president saw them on Netflix and was “moved” by their story.
Harper’s BazaarThe Sussex-friendly publication accompanying the couple on the trip reports that the couple were greeted by Ms Marquez after landing.
Meghan then presented Ms Marquez and her partner, Rafael Yerney Pinillo, with an unspecified personal gift before an hour of tea and coffee behind closed doors.
Over the next four days, the Sussexes will visit the city of Bogotá before heading to Cartagena and Cali as part of a “cultural and social” visit.
Harry will also meet with members of the Colombia team taking part in the Invictus Games, who are preparing for the 2025 games in Whistler, Canada.
Authorities have kept the itinerary a strict secret, as some areas of the country are considered “best avoided” due to ongoing internal conflicts.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Development considers Colombia, like Nigeria, a high-risk destination in some areas.
“The FCDO advises against all non-essential travel to parts of Colombia,” the government agency said, adding that many armed groups remain active in the country despite a 2016 peace deal between the government and the revolutionary group FARC.
Ms Marquez told reporters today that the purpose of the visit was to “build bridges and open doors” to address the problem of cyberbullying and online discrimination, particularly for young people.
However, she made no secret that the trip will serve as a way to showcase Colombia on the world stage, raising fears that the Sussexes are being manipulated to shore up the vice president’s reputation following a series of scandals.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro has a 34 percent approval rating among voters and has removed centrist figures from his Cabinet who opposed his costly health care and pension plans.
Márquez has been accused of using helicopters as taxis to get to and from work. In the past, when asked why she used them so often, she is reported to have said that she was the vice president, so “what a pity.”
Prince Harry and Meghan met with students in Abuja, Nigeria, in May this year
Harry and Meghan will visit Bogotá as part of their tour of Colombia
The vice president says the visit had been on the agenda for a year after inviting Meghan to the country a year ago on July 25, International Day of Women of African Descent.
Meghan had spoken at length about her African heritage during her and Harry’s visit to Nigeria in May this year, their first royal tour “in all but name” together.
Ms Marquez said today: ‘We wanted to invite Meghan, a woman of African descent, to participate in this meeting and share her experiences.
‘At that time we sent her a letter inviting her and she replied to us: the letter said that she could not come but that she was eager to visit and get to know our country.
‘Since then we have been working for a year to achieve this important and very good visit.
‘(As for) how I met Meghan and Harry, well, I met them through the media but above all I saw the series on Netflix about their life and their story and that moved me and motivated me to say: this is a woman who deserves to come to our country and tell her story.
“It will certainly be an empowerment for many women around the world.”
He also said about the visit: ‘I would also like to use the media, both national and international, to invite the world to visit our country.
‘Colombia is a country with enormous cultural wealth, with unique biodiversity and with strong people who want to get ahead.
‘Colombia, the country of beauty, wants to be the best host and so it will be.’
For Marquez, part of the reason for the trip may be that she sees Meghan as an ally in cyberbullying.
She is Colombia’s first black vice president and last year a woman was convicted after making a racist speech in which she called Márquez a “monkey.”
The woman, Luz Fabiola Rubiano, said: “Francia Marquez is an ape… what education can black people have, they steal, attack and kill,” the Associated Press reported. She pleaded guilty to the charges in April 2023.
