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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s invitation to Colombia was inspired by a Netflix documentary about their bitter departure from the royal family.
Colombia’s vice president, Francia Marquez, said that she was “moved” by Harry & Meghan – one of a series of shows made as part of their $100m deal with the streaming giant.
Marquez, who greeted the former working royals in the capital of Bogotá said that she wanted to give Meghan, in particular, another chance to share her life story.
The four-day visit will not just give the Sussexes a chance to discuss their own lives but is designed to “illuminate Colombia’s role as a beacon of culture and innovation”.
Marquez said: “[The documentary] moved me and made me say that this is a woman who deserves to come to our country to tell her story. This exchange will undoubtedly empower so many women in the world.”
The vice president’s desire to promote this message of female empowerment also holds personal significance in her own life, as she is the first black woman to occupy the role.
Harry and Meghan were greeted by Marquez when they arrived at around 9am local time and retreated to enjoy tea, coffee and traditional Colombian cheese before discussing their goals for the visit.
Their engagements included a visit to a school where they stressed the importance of online safety, having candidly discussed how online trolling played a significant role in their departure from the royal family.
Press intrusion was also cited as one of the couple’s reasons and their trip to has been a source of controversy in some circles after Harry recently dubbed the UK too dangerous for his wife to visit.
He told ITV’sTabloids on Trial that he will not bring Meghan to the UK without taxpayer-funded security because he fears “an acid or knife attack” inspired by negative tabloid stories.
While the British government advises citizens against travel to some parts of Colombia, the couple have been provided with full security on the trip.
Their accompanying journalist, Nick Pisa, said that they have a “massive security presence”.
“We’ve seen 14 car and police van convoys carrying the Sussexes through the streets of Bogota since they arrived this morning and have been on four engagements,” he said.
“There’s a bit of controversy with the vice president over the fact that she seems to travel everywhere by helicopter, but we should say she has been subjected to several death threats and also several attempted assassinations.”
Colombia is currently experiencing several dangers, including a high crime rate and kidnappings.
The journalist added: “It does raise serious questions about why Harry thinks that Great Britain might be a little bit too unsafe for him, but he’s happy to stand next to someone who has, unfortunately, quite literally got a target on her back.”
This is Harry and Meghan’s second unofficial tour of the year, having also visited Nigeria in May to mark the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games.
The couple are set to meet with Colombian Invictus team later today as they spend a second day in the capital.
