Meghan stuns in inexperienced as Harry receives reward in Columbia
Meghan Markle stunned in green as Prince Harry was presented with a gift on stage during the couple’s latest stop of their ‘quasi-royal’ Colombia tour.
The Duke, 39, and Duchess, 43, of Sussex were welcomed by the country’s vice-president Francia Marquez and her husband Rafael Yerney Pinillo after arriving on Thursday.
After enjoying a very steamy salsa dance together on Saturday, Harry and Meghan jumped on stage and thanked guests for their ‘warm welcome.’
Meghan’s effortless beauty was on display in a printed strapless maxi-dress as she spoke in Spanish to the crowd, while her husband, dressed in navy pants and a blue button down, graciously accepted a musical instrument.
In an Instagram post on the Festival Petronio Álvarez account, Meghan and Harry were said to be in ‘#Petrionio2024 mode’ as the loud crowd cheered them on.
The Duke, 39, and Duchess, 43, of Sussex were cheered on my a crowd during their Colombian tour as Harry was gifted a musical instrument
Meghan, Harry, Colombia Vice President Francia Marquez and her husband Yerney Pinillo are all smiles at the Petronio Music Festival
In a separate post, Colombian politician Alejandro Eder, who joined the Sussexes on stage, shared a picture of them with him and his actress wife, Taliana Vargas
‘We are a reference for the world, a meeting point and obligatory stop for locals and tourists. Proud of the way our Pacifica culture falls in love!’
In a separate post, Colombian politician Alejandro Eder, who joined the Sussexes on stage, shared a picture of them with him and his actress wife, Taliana Vargas.
‘How do you see this visit by Dukes Harry and Meghan to #Petronio2024? What a joy that the world is watching us! #CaliEsDondeDebesEstar,’ Eder wrote.
On Saturday, the couple beamed as they headed to the historic city of Cartagena and the traditional Afro-Caribbean village of San Basilio de Palenque.
There they were spotted embroiled in a steamy salsa dance, hugging and touching each other as they whirled around the dance floor.
Meghan, looking typically chic in a white linen skirt which she paired with Princess Diana’s £17,800 ( about $23,000 USD) Gold Tank Française Watch, reached out to grab Harry’s face with both hands, pulling him in for a smooch on the lips.
Harry and Meghan beamed on stage as they were given a warm welcome during their tour
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex receive an award from singer Nidia Gongora (pictured here second from the right) during the closing of the festival
On Saturday the loved-up couple enjoyed a steamy salsa dance, hugging and touching each other as they whirled around the dance floor
But the loved-up couple did manage to keep their hands off each other long enough to dance with local residents.
The Duchess shimmied with a Colombian man in a white t-shirt before allowing another woman to spin and dip her in the middle of the room.
Meghan, who luckily had ditched her heels for black sandals, laughed and smiled as she swayed to the music.
Prince Harry looked smart in a breezy light blue linen shirt which he paired with cream trousers and brown shoes.
Ahead of their arrival, some locals said they hoped Harry will use the visit to apologize for the British crown’s role in the colonial slave trade.
The Duke of Sussex has previously discussed the ‘unjust’ system that saw ‘enslaved people’ generate wealth for the Crown.
However, he has not apologized for his family’s role in the oppressive system.
Prince Harry and Meghan arrive in San Basilio de Palenque, Colombia, on day three of their visit
Harry and Meghan held hands as they walked through the village square where stalls with traditional handicrafts had been set up as they chatted animatedly to onlookers.
The village was set up by freed African slaves almost 300 years ago and has been described as a ‘little corner of Africa’.
The stop was particularly significant for Meghan, as when she visited Nigeria in May she said she was ’43 per cent Nigerian.’
On the final day of their faux-royal tour, Meghan spoke at the ‘Afro Women and Power’ conference in Cali.
She 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.
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 and Harry lift their hands up as they attend the Afro Women and Power event
Yerney Pinillo, Ms Marquez, Meghan, and Harry stand and applaud during the Afro-Descendant Women and Power conference
Harry looks adoringly at his wife Meghan who smiles warmly back during the conference
Meghan Markle on stage for the Afro women and power debate in Cali
Harry was full of smiles during his exciting tour of Colombia last week
Meghan opened her intervention at the debate speaking in Spanish and calling Ms Marquez a ‘my friend’ before going on to pay tribute to Harry as she carried on in English.
To a huge cheer she 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.’
Meghan notably neglected to mention the Princess of Wales and the late Queen Elizabeth in her speech, although she has praised both royal women in the past.
