Meghan Markle's surprise drop in delights locals

The Duchess of Sussex continues to surprise on her royal tour of Southern Africa, this time dropping in on local designers in Johannesburg. Photo / Instagram

The Duchess of Sussex made a surprise visit to a local craft centre in Johannesburg on Monday, as Prince Harry toured a safari park in Malawi.

The spontaneous drop-in at Victoria Yards — a studio space where crafts people can come together to work and share ideas — was not listed on Meghan's official agenda for the royals' 10-day tour of Southern Africa, but delighted designers who were able to show off their work.

The Duchess was particularly "struck" by one denim designer, according to her official @SussexRoyal Instagram account, whose logo was a crown.

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While in Johannesburg today, The Duchess of Sussex visited Victoria Yards, which celebrates the power of community, bringing local artisans and “makers” together to rebuild, support and learn from each other on a holistic level. It was an exceptional afternoon where The Duchess had the chance to connect with the children and founders of the phenomenal programme for kids’ development Timbuktu in The Valley. She was also struck by the local denim designer who founded eponymous brand Tshepo who shared this info about the logo for his line: “The crown on my jeans represents the three ladies who raised me. Enjoy wearing this crown.” Such a beautiful and touching sentiment! Artists, artisans, sculptors, metal workers and carpenters are all part of the fabric of Victoria Yards, but it also utilizes the power of The DICE programme which supports several other local organisations in their work with marginalised youth and women. These include: 94 Colours (run by The Duchess’ guides for the day, Hector and Sibusiso), CDP (a development programme for young unemployed and marginalised women that provides training to start creative enterprises), Enke (rebuilds the confidence and self-belief of unemployed youth through training and practical experience), 26’10 South (an architecture firm designing a local youth centre) and ReimagiNation (works with local secondary school students to create a social and creative enterprising mindset). Stay tuned for more updates from this special afternoon... #RoyalVisitSouthAfrica

A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on Sep 30, 2019 at 9:10am PDT

"The crown on my jeans represents the three ladies who raised me. Enjoy wearing this crown," designer Tshepo told her.

Meanwhile, Prince Harry can now add "guest editor" to his long list of royal titles.

As Meghan mingled with artisans, the Duke of Sussex followed in her footsteps and officially took over National Geographic's Instagram account during a tour of Liwonde National Park in southern Malawi.

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We are pleased to announce that today The Duke of Sussex is guest-editing the @NatGeo Instagram account! This photo of a Boabab tree was taken by The Duke in Liwonde National Park, Malawi (where he has just unveiled two new Queens Commonwealth Canopy initiatives) and as part of the ‘Looking Up’ campaign in partnership with @NatGeo. • You can join in today by sharing your own images of the trees in your local community using the hashtag #LookingUp As the Duke shared: “Looking Up” is a new social media initiative to raise awareness of the vital role trees play in the earth’s eco-system, and an opportunity for all of us to take a moment, to appreciate the beauty of our surroundings and to share your own view, by looking up!” • We invite you to follow along at @NatGeo and to share photos you take of trees in your local community using the hashtag #LookingUp so we can all celebrate the importance of the role we play as a community in protecting nature. At the end of the day, The Duke will share a selection of the most beautiful images from across the world on @SussexRoyal Instagram stories. The Duke’s passion for trees and forests as nature’s simple solution to the environmental issues we face, has been inspired by the years of work he has been doing on behalf of his grandmother, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and The Queens Commonwealth Canopy.🌳🌲 • The ‘QCC’ @QueensCanopy was launched in 2015, when Commonwealth countries were invited to submit forests and national parks or plant trees to preserve in The Queen’s name. Now, almost 50 countries are taking part and have already dedicated indigenous forest for conservation, or have committed to planting millions of new trees to help combat climate change. #lookingup #forestsforthefuture #sussexroyal #treesfortomorrow Photo © The Duke of Sussex / 2nd by @africanparksnetwork

A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on Sep 30, 2019 at 4:57am PDT

The popular safari park is known for its elephants, hippos, lions and crocodiles, but Harry instead turned his lens towards the trees in an effort to raise awareness of the "vital role (they) play in the earth's ecosystem", according to the palace.

"Throughout the day, the Duke will work with National Geographic to post images from renowned National Geographic photographers, highlighting indigenous trees and our shared responsibility in preserving what we have and so desperately need to survive," the palace said.

It comes after the Duchess of Sussex made history by guest editing the September issue of British Vogue — the most-read issue of the year — dedicating the special Forces for Change edition to the people, values and causes helping to change the world.

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While at Victoria Yards in Johannesburg this afternoon, The Duchess of Sussex had the opportunity to learn more about the importance of, and how to enable a ‘wellbeing economy’ thanks to Co-Director of the Maker’s Valley Partnership, Simon Sizwe. Simon was awarded a full scholarship to attend the Young African Leaders Initiative programme initiated by President Obama, and he explained that by investing in the overall well-being of a community and its people, and focusing on that economy, you can enrich everyone for a better quality of life. She also met with the owners of Sobae Frozen, an entrepreneurial duo who created their small business as a solution to food waste, creating vegan sorbet from unused fruit from Victoria Yards. At the end of her visit, The Duchess was moved by the original poetry of Belita Andre, the winner of the Poetry Grandslam. In her reading she said: “The Maker’s Valley is a social and enterprise hub, a wave between my corner of the world and yours. Insisting that beyond the anchors of survival. How to make sure that everyone gets to shore, pass around an ocean of stars, not because our sleepless nights are equal but because our dreams are.” • #RoyalVisitSouthAfrica

A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on Sep 30, 2019 at 11:06am PDT

She later described the experience as a "rewarding process" that she hoped would inspire readers to make change happen in their own lives.

Earlier on Monday, Prince Harry visited a memorial dedicated to a British guardsman who lost his life while patrolling for poachers in May.

He laid a wreath on behalf of 22-year-old Matthew Talbot's family and said he was incredibly proud of the role he played in helping to protect Africa's endangered wildlife.

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Side by side with local park rangers in Liwonde National Park, The Duke of Sussex has laid a wreath at the memorial of Guardsman Matthew Talbot. Guardsman Talbot, who was just 22, lost his life earlier this year while on a joint anti-poaching mission with the British Army, the Malawian government and African Parks. The Counter-Poaching Operation is an on-going partnership that requires local organisations such as @AfricanParksNetwork to monitor and protect wildlife from poachers, so that communities can benefit from tourism. These patrols by African Park Rangers can last between 10 hours and 8 days. Guardsmen Talbot was incredibly proud of his role in countering this threat and had played a huge part in the progress and success so far. The Duke laid the wreath on behalf of the Talbot family, and said he was honoured to be able to do so, as he has worked closely with park rangers in these efforts and celebrates each and every one of them as heroes. Often away from the public eye, many people are prepared to put themselves in harm’s way, in a bid to protect wildlife from poachers. The joint missions, with support of the local community, were established by The Duke and have proven to reduce poacher activity. #RoyalVisitMalawi Photo ©️ PA images

A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on Sep 30, 2019 at 2:56am PDT

Later, he dedicated both Liwonde National Park and a nearby forest to the Queen's Commonwealth Canopy, an initiative launched in 2015 aimed at conserving forests and planting millions of trees across the world.

"The Duke's passion for trees and forests as nature's simple solution to the environmental issues we face, is inspired by the work he does on behalf of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II," the palace said.

Harry, Meghan and their five-month-old son Archie traveled to Africa on September 23.

Archie has been largely absent throughout the tour, but made a surprise appearance as the family visited Archbishop Desmond Tutu on day three.

The tour will wrap up on Wednesday, October 2.