The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have begun their four-day working visit to Colombia, sitting down for tea and coffee with Vice President Francia Márquez and her partner, Rafael Yerney Pinillo.
During their meeting, Prince Harry and Meghan exchanged welcome gifts with the vice president, and tucking into traditional pan de bono (Colombian cheese bread).
The Duchess, 43, was pictured being greeting warmly Ms Marquez, who said that she feels she and the Sussexes share the same ideals and goals when it comes to championing a better, safer digital future and mental health landscape for children and the world.
Harry and Meghan’s first port of court will be at a local children’s school, the Colegio Cultura Popular, where they will participate in an Insight Session, speaking with students about the digital landscape and its effects on society.
As revealed by Alejandro Eder, the mayor of Cali, Harry and Meghan are also expected to attend the Petronio Álvarez Festival in the city, over the coming days.
Key themes of the trip will be female empowerment, the military community, and the importance of mental health and digital literacy for today’s youth.
Take a look at the best photos from day one of Harry and Meghan’s tour…
“Special visit”
At a press conference ahead of Harry and Meghan’s arrival, Ms Marquez described the Sussexes’ trip as a “very special visit” aimed at building bridges and joining forces against cyber-bullying.
Ms Márquez, a lawyer and human rights and environmental activist, said she was inspired to ask Harry and Meghan to visit the country after being moved by their Netflix documentary, which was released in December 2022.
“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,” she said.
Time for tea
During the tea, Ms Marquez expressed admiration for Harry’s late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, who died in 1997.
HELLO! understands that she first approached the couple to visit more than a year ago.
The Sussexes’ team has not confirmed how the trip is being funded, whether privately, through Harry and Meghan’s Archewell Foundation, by the Colombian government or other means.
Fashion details
Meghan looked effortlessly chic in a navy halter-neck two-piece by Veronica Beard for her first engagement.
Meanwhile, Harry donned a navy suit and blue open-collared shirt.
Later on Thursday, the Vice President will host a summit in alliance with The Archewell Foundaiton and Luminate. It will bring together experts, leaders and activists to discuss the need for a healthier and more ethical online world.
School visit
The Duke and Duchess spent part of their day at the local charter school, Colegio Cultura Popular. During their visit, they spoke with staff and students and participated in an Insight Session that dealt with technology and social media.
During the lesson, students spoke of their favourite and least favourite aspects of the topics at hand.
Praise for the students
Meghan was incredibly impressed with the students and the Duchess described them as “impressive, smart, and savvy”.
The Duchess also spoke about research from Archewell which highlighted how people would check their social media on average 42 times a day – in Latin American nations, this was higher at 67 times a day.
Recess!
Students at the school got very excited when the Duke and Duchess joined them at recess, with screams heard across the playground!
AN impressive outing
The next stop for the Duke and Duchess was the Delia Zapata Olivella National Arts Center, where they were greeted by minister Juan David Correa Ulloa and museum director Xiomara Suescún.
Music and art
During the visit, Harry and Meghan were treated to various cultural pieces. The couple enjoyed a fragment of the play Lose Yourself, directed by actor and playwright Fabio Rubiano.
They also met and listened to Alexis Play, a Chocoano musician, composer and performer, who fuses the musical folklore of this region of the country with rap.
A fitting end
At the conclusion of their visit, the group were treated to the The Hummingbird’s Kiss by the Teatro Danza Pies del Sol company.
The work was inspired by the ancestral tradition of the Amerindian peoples in which the hummingbird is presented not only as a tribute to the god of the Sun and war, Huitzilopochtli; but also as a channel between the divine and the human, underlining his role as a sacred messenger.
