She explained: “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.”
Also during her press conference, she was asked about a trip Princess Diana had planned to make to Colombia shortly before she died in 1997. She said: “I think that Prince Harry being here today after that dream of his mum’s of visiting this country is an opportunity to show the best of our nation, to show who Colombians are. We are people who in the midst of adversities do everything possible to give the best of ourselves.”
The Sussexes are set to remain in Bogota on Friday so they can spend time with students to talk about emotional well-being in education. They will then attend a lunch hosted by Vice President Márquez, before getting together with Colombia’s Invictus Games competitors.
Colombia became the first South American country to join Harry’s sports event for wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans, when they competed at the Düsseldorf Invictus Games in September 2023. This four-day visit marks Prince Harry and Meghan’s first joint trip to Colombia, and during their stay they will also visit the cities of Cartagena and Cali.
The tour of Colombia also comes as Harry has spoken out about not wanting to bring Meghan and their two children to his homeland of the UK, branding it too dangerous as they don’t automatically get police protection when visiting Britain. The UK’s Foreign Office advises against travel to certain parts of Colombia while the United States State Department advises citizens to reconsider plans to travel there and urges people to “exercise increased caution due to civil unrest and kidnapping”. It is likely to see them guarded by heavy security.
Earlier this year, Harry, 39, and Meghan, 42, travelled to Nigeria to champion their Archewell Foundation’s mental health initiatives and promote the Invictus Games, which Nigeria competed in for the first time last year.
They also met with military leaders, injured soldiers and school kids, who all gave the pair a rapturous welcome. Meghan, who discovered she is 43 per cent Nigerian following a genealogy test in 2022, was particularly thrilled by the reception she received in Nigeria, which she described as “my country”.
Afterwards, it was reported that the Sussexes were drawing up plans for similar trips after they were left thrilled by the reception and coverage of their trip. It came after the pair spent the past few years concentrating on life in Meghan’s native US, where they are raising their two children.
