The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were welcomed by Colombian Vice-President Francia Marquez and her partner, Rafael Yerney Pinillo, at their official residence about 9am local time, where they were given traditional pan de bono (Colombian cheese bread) and exchanged gifts.
Their first engagement on Thursday was at the Colegio Cultura Popular, a local children’s school, and was set to be followed by theatre and music and dance performances at the Plaza del Carnaval y la Cultura in San Juan de Pasto.
Their final event for day one will be the first in a three-part conference on internet safety.
The couple have headed to the South American country as part of their efforts — through the Archewell Foundation — to support projects aimed at protecting young people from online harm and help promote local arts and culture.
During their stay, they will also meet with Colombia’s Invictus Games team.
Harry and Meghan will visit three cities, beginning in Bogota, before moving on to Cartagena and then finishing up in Cali.
Prince Harry and Meghan meet with school students during a four-day visit to Colombia. Photo / Getty Images
“I learned their story through Netflix and I was moved by it. Meghan is a woman who deserves to come to the country and tell her story,” Marquez said.
“Last year we held a meeting on July 25, the day of Afro-descendant women. We wanted to invite Meghan, an Afro-descendant woman, to that meeting so she could share her experiences.
“We sent her a letter inviting her, and she replied saying that she couldn’t come, but that she really wanted to get to know the country.
“Since then, we have been working for a year for this visit.”
“Impotent fury is the dominant feeling among the senior royals in the face of Harry and Meghan’s imminent fake royal tour of Colombia,” royal author Tom Quinn told the Mirror.
Further controversy has emerged from the trip because it comes after Harry told ITV documentary Tabloids on Trial he did not feel his wife would be safe in the UK anymore after being targeted in negative stories by the local media.
The Australian government’s travel advice for those considering visiting Colombia is to “exercise a high degree of caution due to the threat of violent crime and terrorism”. It goes on to warn that there had been “an increase in foreign citizens, including Australians, who have been assaulted and robbed”.
According to the UK’s Independent, the Sussexes’ team have confirmed they will have full security during their trip, although it has not been revealed whether this is privately funded or paid for by the Colombian government.
