Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to visit ‘beacon of anti-colonialism’ in Colombia
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry ‘mismatched’ on quasi tour of Colombia as Duchess ‘soaks up all the attention’.
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Lip readers and body language experts pouring over the Sussex tour of Colombia claim a “mismatch” between the couple despite Meghan Markle’s overt displays of affection.
As they arrived in Bogota for their four-day tour of the South American country, Prince Harry was spotted kissing Ms Markle on the forehead and hugging her arm. Ms Markle, meanwhile, leaned into her husband in a sweet moment in front of the cameras.
But their “mismatch” was revealed in Ms Markle’s terse one-word demand of Prince Harry: “Hand”.
“Here you go,” Prince Harry responded, lip reader Nicola Hickling told the Express.
Body language expert Judi James said the stark contrast in their behaviour on the trip showed the two were not on the same page, as Ms Markle “soaks up all the attention” and Prince Harry lowers his status to “avoid pulling royal rank”.
“He walks ahead, towing his wife along and allowing her to soak up all the attention with her elegant posture, that designer bag and her perfect, Duchenne smiles and excited eye-smiles, while his own facial expression looks less performative for the cameras,” she told The Daily Mail.
“His eye expression looks almost wary which could be natural given that he is a royal without the kind of protocols and even safety nets the Firm will have when they are on proper royal tours,” she added to The Mirror.
“She looks totally in her element, almost as though this is a moment she has been waiting for all her life. Her shoulders are splayed and her elbows tucked into her torso as she carries her large designer bag in one hand and allows her royal husband to tow her along with the other”.
MEGHAN HARRY VISIT ‘BEACON OF ANTI-COLONIALISM’
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle arrived in Colombia for a quasi-royal tour to visit a “beacon of anti-colonialism” in the Americas.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex began their four-day tour in the capital city of Bogotá before travelling to Cartagena, San Basilio de Palenque, Bolívar and Cali.
San Basilio de Palenqu, southeast of the Caribbean coastal city of Cartagena, is a UNESCO-listed heritage town of about 3500 people that was founded by escaped slaves in the 17th century.
While many towns of escaped Afro-Colombian slaves were destroyed, the first “free town” survived and endured as a symbol of anti-colonial resistance to the Spanish crown.
The beeline to the anti-colonial epicentre of the Americas – while King Charles holds a royal family summit in Scotland – comes after Harry and Meghan visited an anti-monarchist leader in Jamaica earlier this year.
While Princess Catherine and King Charles underwent treatment in January, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex walked the red carpet with the controversial Prime Minister of Jamaica Andrew Holness.
Mr Holness infamously confronted Prince William and Catherine during their awkward Caribbean tour in 2022 to say the island nation is “moving on” from the British monarchy and Queen Elizabeth’s beloved Commonwealth.
La visita de Harry y Meghan, duque y duquesa de Sussex, permitirá sumar esfuerzos para visibilizar y atender un problema que ocupa a toda la humanidad: el ciberacoso, la violencia en entornos digitales y la discriminación, afirmó Vpdta. @FranciaMarquezM#HarryMeghanEnColombiapic.twitter.com/4KXRVGXh6h
— Vicepresidencia Colombia (@ViceColombia) August 15, 2024
The Sussex’s return to the Caribbean will see the royal tour stop by San Basilio de Palenque, where the town centre is marked by the statue of Benkos Bioho – a West African slave who co-ordinated raids to free slaves from Spanish plantations.
Of the many Palenques that existed in former times, only San Basilio has survived until the present day. It developed into a unique cultural space,” said UNESCO in its 2008 inscription of the town.
Vice President Francia Márquez confirmed the itinerary stop to San Basilio de Palenqu as part of Sussex’s as part of the Global Ministerial Conference to End Violence against Children, scheduled for November, according to El Diario.
Ms Márquez said at a press conference that she invited the couple after being “deeply moved” by their Netflix series, Harry & Meghan.
“It motivated me to say, ‘This is a woman who deserves to visit our country and share her story,’ and undoubtedly, her visit will strengthen so many women around the world,” she said, according to the UK’s Telegraph.
Harry and Meghan will also attend a music festival in Cali, on the Pacific coast of the country, according to the city’s mayor Alejandro Eder.
While the royal couple will listen to the celebration of Afro-Colombian music and culture, Charles and William are engaging in “crunch talks” on how to “move forward without the Sussexes”.
“What people don’t realise is that the Balmoral gathering isn’t just a summer holiday,” a source told The Express.
“The family also participates in prearranged meetings where they discuss the family’s current position and how they can best prepare for the future.
“Last year was very much about honouring the Queen, as it was the King’s first time hosting the gathering since her death – but this will be about how the family can best move forward without the Sussexes.”
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