A hug for the VP! A smiling Meghan Markle embraces the Vice President of Colombia at the start of a four-day visit after the Duke and Duchess land in Bogota – as armed soldiers surround a local school ahead of the couple’s visit
Harry and Meghan have arrived in Colombia at the start of a four-day visit to the Latin American country. Pictures show them warmly greeting the country’s vice president shortly after landing in Bogota.
The Duchess of Sussex was invited to the country by Vice President Francia Márquez after learning about her story in depth through the couple’s two-part Netflix documentary.
The Sussexes were photographed smiling and holding hands in Bogota shortly after meeting Ms Marquez earlier today. Official photographs show Meghan smiling broadly as she greets the top politician.
Meghan wore a navy Veronica Beard summer suit – consisting of £448 trousers and a £598 vest – along with a white Loro Piana ‘Loom’ handbag worth £3,775.
She also wore shoes that resembled a pair of £595 Manolo Blahnik pumps she’s been seen in before. Harry put on a unifying front with his own outfit, donning a matching dark suit, light blue shirt and black dress shoes.
The couple have a busy schedule for the coming days during their royal tour, three months after their visit to Nigeria, starting with a visit to the local children’s school, the Colegio Cultura Popular, which is heavily guarded.
It is their second so-called quasi-royal union, following a trip to Nigeria earlier this year.
Meghan is seen smiling broadly as she greets the Vice President earlier today in Bogota
Prince Harry shakes hands with Ms Marquez as Meghan looks on
Meghan and Harry have arrived in Colombia for their four-day visit – landing in the capital Bogota
They were invited to the country by Vice President Francia Marquez (pictured), who was “moved” by Meghan’s story, as told in the Netflix documentary released in 2022.
Harry and Meghan stand behind Colombian Vice President Francia Márquez and her partner Rafael Yerney Pinillos
Security in the city is tight, with armed police officers guarding the school where they carry out their first assignment
Soldiers stand guard outside the Colegio Cultura Popular school, where the Sussexes meet the headmaster after being greeted by Colombia’s vice president.
They were invited on an almost royal tour to Colombia after the country’s vice president saw them on Netflix and was “moved” by their story.
Harper’s BazaarThe Sussex-friendly magazine, which is accompanying the couple on the trip, reports that the couple were met by Mrs Marquez upon landing.
Meghan and Harry then presented Ms Marquez and her partner, Rafael Yerney Pinillo, with an undisclosed personal gift, before a private tea and coffee hour featuring traditional pan de bono (Colombian cheese bread).
The Duke and Duchess remained at the residence for half an hour, where the Vice President expressed her thanks for the couple’s official visit.
Over the next four days, the Sussexes will visit the city of Bogotá before heading to Cartagena and Cali as part of a ‘cultural and social’ visit.
Harry will also meet with members of Team Colombia who are competing in the Invictus Games and preparing for the 2025 Games in Whistler, Canada.
Officials are keeping the route secret because certain parts of the country are considered “best avoided” due to ongoing internal conflict.
Colombia, like Nigeria, is considered a high-risk destination in some respects by the UK Foreign and Development Office.
“FCDO advises against all but essential travel to parts of Colombia,” the government agency said, adding that many armed groups remain active in the country, despite a 2016 peace deal between the government and the revolutionary movement FARC.
In addition to several police cars and vans, armed soldiers were also deployed to protect Harry and Megan in a huge steel ring.
Roads were blocked and residents had to take long detours to reach their homes, and had to wait at checkpoints until the events were over so they could move on.
Ms Marquez told reporters earlier today that the aim of the visit was to “build bridges and open doors” to address the problem of cyberbullying and online discrimination, particularly among young people.
She reportedly told Harry and Meghan on social media that they share the same goals when it comes to safety and mental health.
However, she made no secret of the fact that the trip is intended to showcase Colombia on the world stage, raising fears that the Sussexes are being manipulated to boost the vice president’s reputation after a series of scandals.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro, a former guerrilla fighter, has a 34 percent approval rating among voters and has fired a centrist figure in his cabinet who opposed his expensive health care and pension plans.
Ms. Marquez has been accused of using helicopters as taxis to shuttle herself to and from work. In the past, when asked why she used them so much, she reportedly said she was the vice president, so “too bad.”
The couple are expected to stay in the Presidential Suite at the Sofitel Legend Hotel in Cartagena, which costs £2,500 a night.
Prince Harry and Meghan meet students in Abuja, Nigeria in May this year
Harry and Meghan visit Bogata as part of their tour of Colombia
Colombia’s vice president says she felt compelled to invite Harry and Meghan to the country after watching their Netflix documentary (pictured)
The vice president said the visit had been in the planning for a year, after inviting Meghan to the country a year ago on July 25, International Day of Women of Afro-Descendants.
Meghan made much of her African heritage during her visit to Nigeria with Harry in May this year. It was their first royal tour together in all but name.
Ms Marquez said today: ‘We wanted to invite Meghan, a woman of African descent, to participate in the meeting and share her experiences.
‘We then sent her a letter with an invitation and she responded. The letter said that she could not come, but that she would like to visit our country and get to know it.
‘Since then we have been working for a year to make this visit, which is so important and good, happen.
‘How I met Meghan and Harry, I know from the media, but I especially saw the series on Netflix about her life and her story. That touched me and motivated me to say: this is a woman who deserves to come to our country and tell her story.
‘It will undoubtedly be a confirmation for many women in the world.’
She also said about the visit: ‘I also want to use the media, national and international communications, to invite the world to visit our country.
‘Colombia is a country with enormous cultural wealth, unique biodiversity and strong people who want to move forward.
‘Colombia, the land of beauty, wants to be the best host and it will be.’
For Ms. Marquez, one of the reasons for the trip may be that she sees Meghan as an ally in the fight against cyberbullying.
Ms Márquez claims she was the victim of more than 12,000 racist comments on social media last year and has also been the target of death threats and attacks.
She and her family members have been targets of violence in the past. Her father, Sigifredo Márquez Trujillo, was attacked two months ago when the car he was in was shot at.
At the time of the attack, which took place on Father’s Day, Mrs. Márquez said: ‘It hurts my heart that today my father was attacked.
‘I am reporting that my father, my 6-year-old nephew and the two men who were protecting him were attacked on the road from Suarez to Cali, near Timba. Fortunately, they are unharmed and doing well.
‘I am concerned about the security in Cauca, Valle del Cauca, in the municipality of Suárez and the district of La Toma, but also about the security of my community and my family.’
She is Colombia’s first black vice president and last year a woman was convicted after she went on a racist tirade in which she called Ms Marquez a “monkey”.
According to the Associated Press news agency, the woman, Luz Fabiola Rubiano, said: “Francia Márquez is a monkey… what education can black people have, they steal, attack and kill.” She pleaded guilty to the charges in April 2023.
She told the press conference: ‘I think I’ve been telling the story, the history of racism and racial discrimination since I was a child. I’ve been aware of it since I was 13.
‘Women who are active in politics today are exposed to a level of violence on social networks that undermines our well-being and dignity.’
