Meghan Markle and Prince Harry arrive in Colombia for ‘quasi-royal tour’ after chief of staff resigns
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have touched down in Colombia.
The couple arrived Thursday for a four-day visit, which some are calling their second “quasi-royal tour” — because the visit resembles an official royal tour despite the couple stepping down from their roles as senior royals in 2020.
Meghan and Harry’s trip comes three days after their chief of staff, Josh Kettler, left his post after only three months. Kettler was on the couple’s payroll only on a “trial basis.” Parting ways was said to be a “mutual decision.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex traveled to Colombia after accepting an invitation from the country’s vice president, Francia Márquez. Speaking at the event, Márquez said she was inspired to invite the couple after watching their Netflix documentary, “Harry & Meghan.”
Markle gave the vice president and her partner, Yerney Pinillo, a “personal gift” before having an “intimate tea and coffee hour” at her residence.
During the reception, Márquez told Meghan of her “personal admiration” for Harry’s mother, the late Diana, Princess of Wales, according to Harper’s Bazaar. The outlet, favored by the Sussexes, is accompanying them on their trip.
Márquez told the royals that she shares their desire to build “a better, safer digital future and mental health landscape for children and the world,” Harper’s also reported.
She echoed that sentiment when speaking to reporters, saying the purpose of the visit is to “build bridges and open doors in order to tackle the problem of cyberbullying and discrimination online, particularly for young people.”
Meghan and Harry have been vocal in expressing their concern about cyberbullying, and Meghan has shared her own experience with online abuse. Márquez, Colombia’s first black vice president, has been the victim of cyberbullying. Last year, a woman who called Márquez an “ape” was convicted of discrimination and harassment, illegal and punishable by up to three years in prison under Colombian law, per the AP.
The veep posted a photo on X of her greeting the couple.
“We wanted to invite Meghan, an Afro-descendant woman, to participate in that meeting and share her experiences,” Márquez said of their visit.
Márquez added that the trip has been in the works for over a year and that she had hoped Meghan would visit Colombia for the International Afro-descendant Women’s Day on July 25, 2023.
“At that time we sent her a letter inviting her and she responded to us — the letter said that she couldn’t come but she was eager to visit and get to know our country,” Márquez revealed.
“Since then we have been working for a year to achieve this visit, which is so important and good.”
The vice president continued, “[As for] how I met Meghan and Harry, well, I met them in the media but above all I saw the series on Netflix about her life and her 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.”
Meghan and Harry have a busy schedule ahead of them, with stops in Cartagena and Cali in addition to Bogota during what’s been described as a “cultural and social” visit.
Among the many items on their itinerary on the Bogota leg, they are attending a “Responsible Digital Future conference” that will center on young people’s experience with online threats, the current tech landscape and the “future of responsible tech.”
While in Cartagena, the couple will reportedly stay at the presidential suite at the Sofitel Legend Hotel, which costs over $3,000 per night, according to Daily Mail.
The Sussexes’ Colombian sojourn is not their first “quasi-royal tour” since decamping to California. Earlier this year, they visited Nigeria, an occasion which focused on Harry’s Invictus Games, mental health and women’s empowerment.
