Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been left “embarrassed” by the reaction to their tour of Colombia, according to reports.
The Sussexes embarked on a four-day trip of the South American country this month and received plenty of praise and positive reactions. One source quoted by OK! said Meghan and Harry are “keen to [do] more of these tours as that’s what they love doing and what they enjoyed most about royal life” but were “embarrassed” by some of the backlash they received.
Harry and Meghan got plenty of praise for how they dealt with their Colombia trip (
The source told OK!: “They’ve been left embarrassed by this latest backlash, especially as they faced similar comments when they went to Nigeria. They want to help raise awareness to the issues some of these countries face and they know their profile can highlight that. They also know that these trips help elevate their status in Hollywood and in turn help their brand. They don’t want to stop doing them but are unsure of what to do next to win everyone over again.”
Onlookers also questioned if Harry and Meghan are trying to do their own “royal visits” after quitting the Royal Family four years ago.
Meghan addresses the audience during the ‘Afro women and power forum, at the Municipal Theatre in Cali, Colombia, on August 18 ( Image: AFP via Getty Images)
“There are many, many Colombians who are hungry and have a lack of basic needs,” he claimed. “They invested this money because the Vice President wanted to meet two high profile public figures and brush aside criticism and problems that we have here. We are in an economic crisis and eight billion pesos have been spent for the visit of Harry and Meghan, Colombian military planes and helicopters have been used and the money could have been better spent.”
The Colombian Ministry of Equality and Equity, spearheaded by Vice-President Francia Marquez, has been singing praises about the visit, calling it a “success”. El Pais also reported that the Ministry confirmed the Sussexes covered their own travel expenses. A spokesperson from the Ministry revealed: “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex financed their trip and that of their team with their own resources.”
While Harry and Meghan’s personal engagements in Colombia were apparently “co-financed”, it’s understood that international agencies chipped in to help with the costs.
The Ministry highlighted the visit as an opportunity for Colombians to connect with the Archewell Foundation, the charitable organization founded by Harry and Meghan. They also expressed hopes that the visit would showcase Colombia as a prime spot for both business ventures and tourism.
The spokesman added: “It was a very productive visit that allowed connections to be established between the populations and the Archewell Foundation – created and led by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex – to promote programmes aimed at the economic autonomy of women, the prevention of violence in digital environments for girls, boys and young people, and support for leaders who build peace through art and culture.”
Harry and Meghan dancing at the Unidad Recreativa El Vallado on August 18 ( Image: Archewell Foundation via Getty I)
A Colombian government spokesperson called it a ‘productive’ visit ( Image: AFP via Getty Images)
The Spanish newspaper El Pais reported that although the Colombian government didn’t pick up the tab for much of the trip, there are claims that some elements did benefit from state support. Certain travel expenses allegedly received backing from the administration of President Gustavo Petro and meals may have been included as part of the official package.
Furthermore, the publication suggests that the Afro Women and Power Forum enjoyed patronage through national government funding.
