Meghan Markle looked flawless in monochrome as she and Prince Harry embarked on the third day of their royal tour of Colombia on Saturday.
While the Duke of Sussex, 39, wore blue linen and beige chinos to all of the couple’s engagements on Saturday, Meghan changed up her outfit between engagements, choosing a ruffled black two-piece to attend a bongo lesson, before changing into a chic all-white outfit for a visit to a historic village.
For her first look, Meghan chose one of her favourite designers, Colombian Johanna Ortiz, and paired the Deep Ocean silk crop top with the Hello Sailor silk maxi skirt. The two pieces together cost approximately £1,700.
Visiting the historic Afro-Caribbean village of San Basilio de Palenque, founded 300 years ago by freed slaves, she chose a chic white linen skirt by Posse, the Emma design, which cost around £200. She paired this wardrobe staple with a white crew-neck tank top by Argent, which cost £120.
Meghan Markle looked monochrome as she arrived in Cartagena with Prince Harry on the third day of their tour of Colombia
For mother-of-two Meghan, who has previously been known to favor exclusive and expensive designers, this look favored more modestly priced key pieces, but it was her dripping that drove up the outfit’s price tag.
Keeping her favourite and most treasured jewellery pieces close, Meghan chose her Cartier Gold Tank Francaise watch, which once belonged to Princess Diana and is valued at £17,800. She paired it with her Cartier Justr Un Clou necklace in yellow gold with diamonds, which costs £17,800.15,500, and added a final touch from Cartier, the Yellow Gold Love bracelet, which costs 5,800 pounds.
Elsewhere, the Duchess added sweet nods to her children, Archie and Lili, by sporting her Ariel Gordon Imperial Disc Pendant Necklace engraved with the children’s names, costing £1,425.
While Meghan’s second look of the day was demure and modest in cost, her expensive jewelry added to the price tag.
As the couple embarked on the third day of their tour of the South American nation, they were greeted once again by Colombian Vice President Francia Marquez as they visited a school and participated in a bongo workshop.
On their second meeting of the day, they visited the town of San Basilio de Palenque, which has a fascinating history having been founded by freed African slaves almost 300 years ago. It is now described as a “little corner of Africa” in the nation.
The couple appeared to be wearing headphones, perhaps to facilitate translation from Spanish to English, as they participated in the class.
Earlier in the day, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle arrived in Cartagena, the historic city on the Caribbean Sea, and looked dapper as they stepped off the plane.
The stop was especially meaningful for Meghan, as when she visited Nigeria in May she said she was “43 percent Nigerian.”
Today the quasi-royal tour will end with a trip to the city of Cali where the couple will attend a music festival and meet local youth.
Meghan’s speech in Cali will focus on ‘Afro women and power’ and will take place in the city’s main theatre.
In the town of San Basilio de Palenque, local rapper Andris Padilla Julio, 32, performed for the Duke and Duchess after they toured the area.
Meghan and Harry walk through the streets of San Basilio de Palenque in Colombia
Known by the rap name Afroneto, Padilla is the creator of a style known as RFP or Rap Palanquero Folklórico.
He said: ‘I spoke to Harry, his wife and Francia Marquez about our plan to build a performing arts centre here.
‘I gave them a document with what we want to do and now all they need to do is put up the money we need.
Meghan accessorised her ensemble with chic aviator sunglasses, Princess Diana’s £17,800 gold Tank Française watch, a £5800 yellow gold Cartier Love bracelet and completed her ensemble with black sandals.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry looked very much in love as they held hands while visiting the traditional Afro-Caribbean village, San Basilio de Palenque, on Saturday.
“They said they would help me. Harry complimented me on my workflow and my outfit.”
Josefa Hernandez, 38, a contractor for Colombia’s Ministry of Culture who acted as master of ceremonies for the visit, said: ‘This visit has been very symbolic for us.
‘The Duke and Duchess broke protocol to thank us for opening the doors of our community to them.
‘They told us that they understood the importance of San Basilio de Palenque for the history of Colombia and the world.
‘First they visited the San Basilio de Palenque cultural center where Franca Márquez spoke and the national anthem of Colombia and the Palenque anthem were performed.
‘A local wise woman performed a ritual predicting prosperity for the Duke, Duchess and Vice President.
‘Then a local historian gave them a tour and explained the history of how the city was created.’
Colombia is the country with the third largest population of African descent, after Nigeria and Brazil, and Francia Márquez, the host vice president of the trio, is the first black woman to hold the post. In an interview with Amnesty International in 2014, Márquez said Afro-Colombian women “must keep going,” despite the risks they face.
She believed that women had a key role to play because their “caring instinct” drives them to protect not only their children, but also their land, the environment and their communities.
“We need to feminize politics and fill humanity with maternal love. War has always been driven by machismo, by patriarchy and by business between men. I think these men should stop being so aggressive in life and think about feminizing themselves.”
A spokesperson for the Vice Presidency explained: “The event was a special meeting to reconnect with African roots; to learn about the experiences and living conditions of the black, Afro-descendant, Raizal and Palanquero peoples of the region and to strengthen human and cultural development programs that promote the guarantee of cultural and collective rights in this territory.”
Speaking at the village, Meghan said: “We understand very well the importance and meaning of what this village is, it has become very clear to us. We understand what Palenque represents for Colombia and for the world, we thank you for sharing with us everything you showed us.”
Prince Harry told the crowd: “It feels like we’ve seen the whole country already.”
He added: ‘What we are seeing here is what a community is all about, don’t forget the message of the Vice President, you are stronger together, you are stronger united as one.’
(tags to translate)dailymail