BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Prince Harry and his wife Meghan arrived in Colombia on Thursday for their first visit to the South American country. They will participate in several events to promote youth mental health and combat cyberbullying, the office of Colombia’s vice president said.
Harry and Meghan were welcomed at the residence of Vice President Francia Márquez in the heart of Bogotá, where they were treated to Colombian coffee and local pastries made with cheese and yuca. Márquez and Meghan greeted each other enthusiastically, according to a photo released by the Archewell Foundation, the couple’s nonprofit organization.
Márquez, a human rights activist and Colombia’s first black vice presidentsaid she will show the Prince and the Duchess the country’s cultural wealth and the work the Colombian government is doing to combat inequality in a country where 33% of the population lives in poverty.
The vice president said in a press conference ahead of Harry and Meghan’s reception that the visit is intended to “build bridges and open doors” and to raise awareness and address “a problem that affects all of humanity today: cyberbullying”, especially because of its impact on children. Márquez herself said she was the victim of “12,000 racist attacks” last year.
On Saturday, Harry and Meghan are expected to travel to the Colombian Caribbean, where they will visit San Basilio de Palenque, a town of about 3,500 people south of the tourist city of Cartagena that was founded by runaway slaves in the 17th century.
On Sunday, the couple will visit Cali, one of the most important cities in the Colombian Pacific, where they will attend a forum on ‘Afro-women and power’.
The Duchess of Sussex had announced on her podcast in October 2022 that she had discovered through DNA testing that she was “43% Nigerian”.
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