Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Announce Upcoming Major Royal Tour

Harry and Meghan are hitting the road! On Thursday, August 1, the duo announced plans to visit the South American nation of Colombia later this fall as representatives of their charitable organization, the Archewell Foundation.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be visiting Colombia ahead of the first Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children, which will take place in November. They were invited by the Colombian government and, while their exact itinerary is unknown, they are at least confirmed for a visit to the country’s capital city, Bogotá, as well as Cartagena and Cali.

A statement from Colombia’s vice-president Francia Marquez says, “The forthcoming conference will unveil a comprehensive framework for creating safer physical and digital spaces, tackling issues such as cyberbullying, online exploitation, and the mental health impacts of these threats. It will offer actionable solutions and commitments for countries around the world. During their visit, The Duke and Duchess, as well as The Archewell Foundation, will engage in several activities related to this important topic. We are confident that their visit will further illuminate Colombia’s role as a beacon of culture and innovation.”

If you’re wondering how it is that Meghan and Harry are going on a royal tour after leaving the royal family in 2020, you’re not the only one. Royal experts and co-hosts of the podcast Royally Obsessed, Rachel Bowie and Roberta Fiorito, weighed in to explain.

“It’s not actually a ‘royal’ tour,” notes Bowie. “That’s just what we call it because that’s kind of our only reference point in terms of the work they’ve done previously.” She brings up Meghan and Harry’s trip to Nigeria from earlier this year as a prime example. “When they went to Nigeria, it felt so close to a royal tour in terms of the execution, but also because that’s our only point of comparison. At the core, they were invited by the Nigerian government and the point was to promote the Invictus Games, which Nigeria is eager to host. Even with Colombia, this visit came at the invitation of the government and dovetails with their recent cyberbullying work (specifically, the efforts to protect against online abuse and hate). So, yes, it looks like a tour and walks like a tour, but I do think it’s more in line with their commitment to service and work as humanitarians.”

Having just been announced, there are very few known details about the tour, such as exact dates, which parts of the country they’ll visit and whether or not Lilibet (3) and Archie (5) may be joining their parents (unlikely, but you never know). At the very least, their Colombian tour will give Meghan a chance to use her Spanish and maybe inspire Harry to pick up some of the language himself.

Source: Wired Image, AFP via Getty Images, The Archewell Foundation