Prince Harry and Meghan Markle land in Colombia for tour-day tour - Duke & Duchess of Sussex arrive for 'DIY royal tour'
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have landed in Colombia to begin their four-day tour of the South American country.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were met by Colombian vice-president Francia Marquez and her husband Rafael Yerney Pinillo in the capital Bogota on Thursday, August 16, before being hosted at the vice-president’s residence to exchange gifts and have tea and pandebono, a traditional Colombian cheese bread.
Ms Marquez had invited the former royals for the trip, which has been dubbed a DIY royal tour. She told media that she was inspired to invited the famous couple to her country after watch the Sussexes’ Netflix documentary series.
Ms Marquez, who spoke to the couple about cyber bullying and online digital violence and discrimination, said: “I saw the Netflix series about their life, their story and that moved me and motivated me to say that this is a woman who deserves to come to our country and tell her story and her exchange will undoubtedly be an empowerment to so many women in the world.”
The six-part documentary series was a bombshell for royal watchers, airing just three months after the death of Queen Elizabeth II. The couple, who stepped down as working royals in 2020, went into detail about the impact that media scrutiny had put on both their relationship and Meghan herself, as well as laying bare riffs in the family that led to them stepping back from public duties.
While the itinerary for the couple has not been revealed, the Sussexes are being given full security detail throughout their four-day visit to Colombia. Their team have also not confirmed how the trip is being funded, whether by Harry and Meghan’s Archewell Foundation or by the Colombian government.
The Colombia trip comes after the Sussexes visited Kenya earlier this year on a similar-style tour. The couple travelled to the west African country after being invited by the Kenyan chief of defence staff.