The Duke and Duchess of Sussex began their four-day working visit to Colombia with a tea and coffee meeting with Vice President Francia Márquez and her partner, Rafael Yerney Pinillo.
The day included playful moments with local schoolchildren on the playground and performances by Colombian artists.
During their meeting with Vice President Márquez, Prince Harry and Meghan exchanged welcome gifts. The Duchess, 43, was warmly greeted by Ms. Márquez, who expressed that they share similar values and goals, particularly in advocating for a safer digital future and improved mental health for children globally.
At the breakfast meeting, the couple enjoyed traditional Colombian cheese bread, pan de bono.
Their first stop was the Colegio Cultura Popular, a local school where they engaged in an Insight Session, discussing the impact of the digital landscape on society with the students.
“Special Visit”
“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,” she said.
Time for Tea
During the tea, Ms Marquez expressed admiration for Harry’s late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, who died in 1997.
Fashion Details
Meghan looked effortlessly chic in a navy halter-neck two-piece by Veronica Beard for her first engagement. Meanwhile, Harry donned a navy suit and blue open-collared shirt.
Lesson Time
Inside, several students shared personal stories about how social media had impacted their lives positively and negatively, and how they want to hold onto real life connections.
The Duchess spoke about research from Archewell which highlighted how people would check their social media on average 42 times a day – in Latin American nations, this was higher at 67 times a day.
Music and Art
During the visit, Harry and Meghan were treated to various cultural pieces. The couple enjoyed a fragment of the play Lose Yourself, directed by actor and playwright Fabio Rubiano.
Hummingbird’s Kiss
The work was inspired by the ancestral tradition of the Amerindian peoples in which the hummingbird is presented not only as a tribute to the god of the Sun and war, Huitzilopochtli; but also as a channel between the divine and the human, underlining his role as a sacred messenger.
