Meghan feels the warmth! Moment Duchess takes issues into her personal fingers
Meghan Markle managed to get a friendly laugh out of the audience in Cali, Colombia, on Sunday even before she had said a word at the Afro women and power forum where she was speaking as part of the Sussex’s ‘quasi-royal’ tour.
The Duchess of Sussex, who would go on to deliver her speech in Spanish, was clearly finding Cali’s 33 degree heat unbearable as she sat on the stage in the city’s Municipal Theatre – and she decided to take matters into her own hands.
Meghan, 43, who looked typically glamorous in a sequined skirt and sleeveless white shirt paired with towering pink pumps, marched across the stage to angle the circular fan towards the panel while a bemused stage manager looked on from the wings.
When the manoeuvring was complete, she walked back to her seat while confidently gesturing to the audience that she had solved the problem of the sweltering heat.
Not only did the Duchess’s decisive action get a laugh out of the audience, it also earned her a round of applause when she returned to her seat.
![Meghan Markle (pictured) marched across the stage in her towering pink pumps to move the fan to face the panel](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/08/18/21/88659327-13755459-Meghan_Markle_pictured_marched_across_the_stage_in_her_towering_-a-33_1724013507175.jpg)
Meghan Markle (pictured) marched across the stage in her towering pink pumps to move the fan to face the panel
![As the Duchess bent down to adjust the circular fan a bemused stage manager looked on](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/08/18/21/88659325-13755459-image-a-34_1724013528068.jpg)
As the Duchess bent down to adjust the circular fan a bemused stage manager looked on
![Meghan Markle (pictured) looked radiant in a patterned pencil skirt embellished with sequins, which she paired with a sharp white shirt and pink, suede pumps](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/08/18/19/88656693-13755217-image-a-1_1724004789332.jpg)
Meghan Markle (pictured) looked radiant in a patterned pencil skirt embellished with sequins, which she paired with a sharp white shirt and pink, suede pumps
Megan’s effort to make the theatre more comfortable for everyone was originally captured by Columbian news site Tubarco.news and shared on X (formerly Twitter) with the caption: ‘The Duchess of Sussex got up to move the fan because she can’t bear the heat of Cali.’
The mother-of-two, 43, was dressed in a sequined skirt and sharp white shirt on what was the final day of the Sussexes ‘quasi-royal’ tour of Columbia.
She looked radiant in a £1,634 patterned mdi skirt embellished with sequins by Miami-based designer Silvia Tcherassi and a sleeveless white shirt with silver buttons.
Meghan was accompanied by Prince Harry, 39, who chose a pale blue, linen shirt for the occasion.
The Duchess’s hair was swept back into a glamorous updo, revealing a pair of gold statement earrings, while she kept her make-up natural.
She completed her outfit with a pair of pink suede pumps and Princess Diana ‘s £17,800 Gold Tank Française Watch, along with a £5,800 Cartier Love Yellow Gold Bracelet.
At the theatre, Meghan proudly retold her go-to tale about how she wrote to Procter & Gamble aged 11 to ask the brand to change its sexist soap commercial.
But before she spoke as part of the panel, there appeared to be heckler among the crowds.
![The Duchess of Sussex gave a speech at the Afro women and power forum in Cali, speaking in Spanish](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/08/18/19/88656651-13755217-image-a-2_1724004829735.jpg)
The Duchess of Sussex gave a speech at the Afro women and power forum in Cali, speaking in Spanish
The Duchess also paid tribute to her mother and gushed over her three-year-old daughter Lilibet.
‘[I] encourage our daughter […] at three she has found her voice and we are so proud of that,’ she said.
‘For me I find inspiration in so many of the strong women around me. My mother being one of them. Life is full of surprises and can be quite complex.’
Meghan opened her intervention at the debate speaking in Spanish and calling Ms Marquesa ‘my friend’, before going on to pay tribute to Harry in English.
The Duchess learned Spanish in 2002 when interning at the U.S. embassy in Argentina.
To a huge cheer Meghan said: ‘I would like to begin in Spanish because we are in your country, my husband and I, and I can feel this embrace from Colombia.
‘It’s incredible, so many, many thanks, because the culture, the history, everything has been like a dream on this trip.
‘Sorry if my Spanish is not perfect because I learned it 20 years ago in Argentina, but I’m trying here because I can feel this community and this feeling which is the best in the world.’
She added: ‘So thank you very much to the vice president, my friend, many thanks.’
A Colombian journalist said: ‘For Meghan to say my friend in that way is such a powerful statement and shows just how close they have become. People will take note of that.’
Meghan then continued in English to retell her childhood story about writing to Procter & Gamble. ‘I was very, very fortunate at a young age to feel as though my voice was being heard,’ she said.
‘And I think that is a luxury that a lot of young girls and women aren’t often afforded.
‘I was 11-years-old, and you may know this story, I had seen a commercial that I felt was sexist, and I wrote a letter, several letters, about it, and the commercial was changed.
‘When you’re 11-years-old, you realise very quickly that your small voice can have a very large impact.
‘I think it creates the framework to feel empowered to use your voice, because you know you’re being listened to.’
The Duchess often uses the childhood tale in her speeches and interviews, despite some questions being raised about its validity.
![She wore her hair swept back in a glamorous updo to and kept her make-up natural](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/08/18/18/88655551-13755217-image-a-48_1724001062846.jpg)
She wore her hair swept back in a glamorous updo to and kept her make-up natural
The account was stripped out of a Vanity Fair cover story in 2017 after ‘fact checkers raised questions about its accuracy,’ a biography claimed in 2022.
The anecdote was cut from the cover story ‘after consulting P&G and advertising historians,’ according to Tom Bower’s book Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the War Between the Windsors.