The total cost of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's visit to Colombia last month has been disclosed. The Sussexes embarked on a four-day tour of the South American nation, where they visited a school, played volleyball, and raised awareness about online bullying and misinformation.
Colombian Vice President Francia Marquez invited the couple to visit her country after viewing the Duke and Duchess' Netflix documentary, which touched on some of their difficulties as part of the Royal Family, troubles which would ultimately see the couple step back from their royal duties. As such, Harry and Meghan's four-day tour was branded "quasi-royal," without all of the typical pomp and ceremony of a formal visit.
But amid the ongoing disagreement between the Prince and his father King Charles over who should foot the bill when Harry and his family are in the UK, some has raised concerns about the strain their visit could put on the Colombian state. These concerns led to Senator Maria Fernanda Cabal filing a request for figures that have revealed the scale of costs inflicted by the visit.
The Colombian government shelled out a measly £44,725.14 for the couple's transportation and security during their four-day stay, the Express reports. For a sense of scale, the Metropolitan Police spent a whopping £3.5m on security during Donald Trump's three-day 2019 State Visit, and King Charles spent £117,000 on just transportation when visiting France last year.
During this visit, the French President Emmanuel Macron spent an eye-watering £400,000 on just dinner with the King, something which brought his office into disrepute when it emerged in July. At the time, King Charles said: "Your generosity of spirit brings to mind how my family and I were so greatly moved by the tributes paid in France to my mother, the late queen.”
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Francia Marquez, the Colombian VP, revealed these figures in response to Senator Maria Fernanda Cabal's request. Senator Cabal criticised the trip as "showmanship" and "wasteful spending."
However, Ms Marquez confirmed that Harry and Meghan covered their own flight and accommodation expenses and branded the visit a success. The breakdown shows that £7,500 was spent on security for their visit to San Basilio de Palenque, a former slave town, while £4,500 was allocated for security in Cali, where the couple enjoyed live performances from a youth organisation.
Following the tour, Andres Escobar, a right-wing councillor for the city of Cali, took to social media to slam the Sussexes' visit, although he subsequently removed his post.
He remarked: "We continue with an ancient practice: handing over our resources in exchange for smoke and mirrors."
"Billions that could have been used to expand coverage of children's soup kitchens, pay salaries for community mothers, seed capital for Afro communities or adapt sports venues that are practically in ruins."