Smiling Prince Harry and Meghan enjoy Colombian folk dancer show and visit school as they kick off four-day tour

15 August 2024, 20:39 | Updated: 16 August 2024, 01:33

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have arrived in Colombia as they begin a four-day tour of the South American country.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were greeted in the capital Bogota on Thursday by Colombia’s vice-president Francia Marquez ahead of a trip focused on ending cyber-bullying and protecting children online.

The pair spent around half-an-hour at the vice-president’s home, where they exchanged gifts and ate traditional pandebono – a Colombian cheese bread dish.

Harry and Meghan were then taken to a school where they spoke to pupils about their favourite and least favourite parts of social media, technology and dealing with life on the internet.

Afterwards, they were treated to a performance of the play ‘The Kiss of the Hummingbird’ at the Delia Zapata National Centre for the Arts.

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Speaking after the Royal’s arrival, Marquez revealed she was inspired to ask the couple to visit the country after being moved by their Netflix documentary.

“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,” Marquez said.

The Sussexes’ explosive Netflix show, aired just three months after Queen Elizabeth II’s death and focused on Harry’s strained relationship with his family.

The vice president said she hoped the trip would aid in building bridges and joining forces against cyber-bullying and online digital violence and discrimination, as well as promoting women’s leadership in Colombia.

It remains unknown how the Sussexes have funded this trip but the couple will have full security detail while travelling the country.

On Friday, Harry and Meghan will attend a lunch hosted by Marquez before visiting the cities of Cartagena and Cali over the weekend.

They are also expected to attend the Petronio Álvarez festival, a four-day festival in celebration of Afro-Colombian music and culture.

This visit comes as part of a wider effort by the Sussexes to shed light on the risks social media poses to children.

“Our kids are young. They’re three and five. They’re amazing,” Meghan told CBS as she opened up about her fears for her children, Archie and Lilibet.

“But all you wanna do as parents is protect them. So, as we can see what’s happening in the online space, we know that there’s a lot of work to be done there and we’re just happy to be able to be a part of change for good.”

Adding to this, Harry said: “At this point we’ve got to the stage where almost every parent needs to be a first responder.

“And even the best first responders in the world wouldn’t be able to tell the signs of possible suicide. That is the terrifying piece of this.”