Medellín, Colombia – Harry and Meghan, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, visited Colombia for the first time last week, after being invited by Vice President and Minister for Equality Francia Márquez Mina.
As signaled by the President’s office, the agenda for the royal visit included cultural, social and academic meetings and events to address issues like cyberbullying, digital violence and discrimination.
As per Márquez Mina, “cyberbullying and digital violence puts everybody’s mental health at risk. This alliance will help us advance in the protection and guarantee of the rights of children and adolescents. Additionally, it also seeks to encourage women’s leadership in Colombia and the world.”
From August 15 to 18, Harry and Meghan visited Bogotá, Cartagena and Colombia’s third largest city, Cali. In the capital city, they participated in a forum for the development of strategies to create secure digital spaces, in addition to visiting a school in Bogotá where they interacted with students about the effects of digital mediums in society.
In Cartagena, the couple visited the historic town center, after which they headed to San Basilio de Palenque, a town known as the “first free town of South America” after it was founded by runaway slaves in the 18th century, as reported by Colombian news magazine Semana.
Finally, Meghan and Harry went to Cali to attend the Petronio Álvarez music festival, which celebrates afro-Colombian music, according to the Colombian government’s radio station.
“Thank you so much to Harry and Meghan for honoring our city and our pacific culture. Cali is for reconciliation, and for everyone. Welcome!” Cali mayor Alejandro Eder stated through X.
The visit comes ahead of the first World Ministerial Conference on the Elimination of Violence Against Children, set to take place in Colombia in November.
“Thank you for your warm welcome, for your beautiful culture and for your incredible hospitality,” Prince Harry told festival goers in Cali, with translation assistance from Meghan.
Meghan and Harry’s semi-royal visit
Harry and Meghan split from the British crown in 2020, and are no longer working royals, nor can they be addressed as his or her royal highness (HRH). Harry was also stripped from his military titles, although they both remain Duke and Duchess of Sussex, with the Prince being fifth in line to the throne, as per the BBC.
Regardless, they have continued to travel around the world, including a visit to Nigeria earlier this year, according to the entity. Primarily, these visits are intended to promote their charity work.
The pair have been open about their concerns about press intrusion on their lives, and threats they have received online, according to the BBC.
“For as long as people are allowed to spread lies, abuse, harass- then social cohesion as we know it has completely broken down,” Harry stated, as reported by the BBC.
Harry has also been vocally critical of them being stripped from their security detail after stepping down as senior royals, alleging that he and Meghan still face significant security threats.
Because of this, the pair’s visit to Colombia sparked controversy in the United Kingdom. The Daily Mail’s Sarah Vine highlighted that “Colombia remains one of the world’s most dangerous places,” although it is the perfect choice for a couple in need of reinvention.
Similarly, recognized journalist Piers Morgan signaled the “laughable hypocrisy of them going to one of the world’s most dangerous places… after all of Harry’s whiny demands for taxpayer-funded royal security.”
However, as the El País newspaper notes, Colombia has also been a recent travel destination for Letizia, Queen of Spain, Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, and Máxima, Queen of the Netherlands. King Charles and Queen consort Camilla visited the country in 2014 as well.
As signaled by the publication, some fear that Harry and Meghan’s recent international presence is an independent exercise of foreign policy, without supervision from the UK government.
