Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's biggest tour bombshells - passionate kiss, 'discomfort', telling speech
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's controversial royal-style tour of Colombia has finally come to a close after a four-day trip that saw them explore the South American nation
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's royal-style tour of Colombia has finally wrapped - and it has certainly been an eventful four days.
The quasi-royal tour, which has many similarities to the programme of an official royal overseas visit, has seen the Sussexes visiting schools, enjoying musical performances, speaking at forums, meeting Invictus Games competitors and even learning how to play the drums during their events in Bogota, Cartagena and Cali.
Each part of the trip has seen a huge security detail travel with the couple as they visited the South American nation. And now the trip is over, here are some of its biggest revelations...
Ring of steel security
One of the major talking points of the whole trip has been the fierce ring of steel that has been thrown around Harry and Meghan during their time in Colombia.
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Their security detail has raised eyebrows as Colombia has travel advisory warnings from the Foreign Commonwealth Development Office and Harry, meanwhile, has maintained it is 'still dangerous' for Meghan to return to the UK, launching a legal challenge to have police protection restored for him and his family while in his homeland.
Among the safety precautions that were taken in Colombia was having an officer armed with a Kevlar shield to stop any potential shooter taking aim at the couple. At each event the couple have attended the man - part of the local security detail - was seen jumping out of a vehicle ahead of the couple holding the folding shield. During the visit to La Giralda school in Bogota on Friday morning, the shield was clearly visible behind Harry as he planted a tree in the grounds and on footage released by the Colombian government.
The shield - known as a ballistic briefcase - was also used to protect the country's vice-president Francia Marquez, who hosted the visit and who has been the target of several assassination attempts.
Meanwhile on Saturday, at a traditional African drumming class in Cartagena, the couple's security detail included heavily-armed soldiers, police officers and sharp-suited private security guards. A van containing a chemical biological nuclear response unit joined the massive cavalcade of 14 vehicles that arrived alongside the couple as well as a helicopter and drones, while snipers were stationed on a roof.
'Awkward' Harry
Despite the security, Harry and Meghan have appeared to not let it bother them as they carried out their visits in Colombia, but there have been several moments where Harry's true feelings about the situation may have slipped.
On arrival in Bogota on Thursday, body language Judi James told The Mirror there were signs of security-conscious Harry's anxiety as he made his first appearance with Meghan while visiting the vice-president's office. She said: "Harry walks ahead in less of a performative mode. He forms a polite smile but his expression is a little more tempered and complex. 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."
Later that day, while watching a musical performance, Judi also revealed Harry showed the true depths of his discomfort. She explained: "Despite his life-long induction into royal behaviour it was Meghan who managed to sustain a perfect royal smile at this performance while Harry's expressions and body language fluctuated. At times he was actively laughing and chatting using animated gesticulation but there were also 'flash' moments when his smile dropped and his facial expression looked almost dour in comparison to his wife's."
Meanwhile, on Saturday, when the pair visited the drumming school, he also appeared downcast, according to Judi. She explained: "Day three of this tour threw up some body language rituals that seemed to suggest it was Meghan in the lead as she was from their arrival, stepping into the greeting rituals with a keenness, a perfect smile and almost regal grace while Harry appears to be lurking, waiting his turn or standing behind Meghan looking slightly downcast.
"Meghan has clearly perfected the art of the gracious perma-smile but Harry's expressions appeared to fluctuate, smiling, laughing and gesticulating one minute but looking more disconnected the next as he waits his turn."
Nods to Diana
In many of his recent public appearances before the tour, Harry has referenced his mother, the late Princess Diana and her legacy - and it seems she has also been at the forefront of the couple's minds during this tour.
During a visit to La Giralda School in Bogota, Meghan made a nod to the mother-in-law she had never met by wearing her beautiful butterfly earrings. It wasn't the first time Meghan had been seen in the earrings; she first sported them several years ago as she headed on her first royal tour to Australia in 2018. At the time, Meghan gave onlookers a glimpse of the beautiful jewel-encrusted butterfly earrings as she pushed her hair behind her ears. She also wore the earrings at the launch of her clothing collection for the SmartWorks charity in 2019.
Meanwhile, the Colombian vice-president revealed a little-known fact about Diana and her heartbreaking connection to the country. On Thursday, during a press conference given by VP Marquez, it emerged Harry's late mother had planned to visit Colombia shortly before she died in 1997.
She said: "I think Prince Harry being here today after the dream of his mum's of visiting this country is an opportunity to show the best of our nation, to show who Colombians are. We are people who in the midst of adversities do everything possible to give the best of ourselves."
Meghan's telling speech
On the final day of the tour, Harry and Meghan attended a forum on Afro women and power where the Duchess took to the stage to deliver a speech. During it, she paid tribute to Harry for empowering her and allowing her to know her voice was heard. She also told how their three-year-old daughter Lilibet has already found her voice and she also paid tribute to her own mother, Doria.
As she rounded off her speech, which was partly in Spanish, she explained: "It never feels good to use your voice and no one hears you. That's not ideal. I will say, from my standpoint, I was very, very fortunate at a young age to feel as though my voice was being heard. 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, and 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 comments could be seen as telling, as in her bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey more than three years ago, Meghan revealed how she was "silenced" by the Royal Family. In one tense moment during that chat, the host asked Meghan if she had been "silent or silenced". Meghan shockingly claimed it was the latter.
Blunt reason for trip
Meanwhile, another theme throughout the trip has been a question over why exactly Harry and Meghan chose Colombia to visit. The trip, dubbed a 'DIY Royal tour', included many of the hallmarks Brits would expect from classic Royal tours, including visits to charitable organisations and meetings with powerful leaders.
However, given that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped down as working members of The Firm in 2020, and therefore weren't representing His Majesty's government in an official capacity, a number of questions, not to mention eyebrows, were raised as to the exact purpose of the quasi-royal trip.
But it all became clear as, just before welcoming Harry and Meghan to the capital city of Bogota, alongside her husband, Rafael Yerney Pinillo, Vice-President Márquez answered a number of questions from the press, many of whom were naturally curious about the purpose behind the invite.
The VP explained: "I saw the Netflixseries about their life, their story and that moved me and motivated me to say that this is a woman who deserves to come to our country and tell her story and her exchange will undoubtedly be an empowerment to so many women in the world."
The six-part Netflix series Harry & Meghan, which aired in 2022, details how the prince and former actress met and fell in love, before encountering struggles which ultimately led to their decision to give up their HRH titles and carve out new non-Royal lives for themselves in California.
Passionate kiss
Harry and Meghan packed on the PDA with a passionate kiss at a salsa class. The former actress pulled her husband's face close as she kissed him during the intense dance session. The Duke and Duchess travelled to Unidad Recreativa El Vallado in Cali to join Jovenes en Cali, a youth organisation in the city.
They sat in on salsa and hip hop performances from local youths before joining in with them dancing towards the end of the musical portion, after being encouraged to join the fun from the student dancers.
The programme closed with an open conversation with some of the youth and community leaders moderated by Colombia's Vice-President Francia Marrquez.
The group spoke about how music and dancing have helped keep them focused on their mental health and staying out of trouble. They also had the chance to ask the Duke and Duchess questions. One asked Meghan if she had tried “viche” — a sweet liquor local to Colombia, to which she replied "Yes, it's very good!" in Spanish.
Prince Harry also spoke to the group, telling them: "I hope you all know how much your actions mean to the people and children within your communities. The path that you have chosen will make a difference that will inspire and create change for hundreds or even thousands of young people."
Spanish skills
Prince Harry was cheered by tens of thousands of Colombians at a music festival on the final day of the couple's tour, as he took to the stage and spoke in Spanish.
The royal told revellers at a music festival in the city of Cali: "Hi, how are you? I'm Harry. It's nice to be here. Thank you for having us!".
Harry added: "Good night Cali, good night Colombia! Many thanks to the madam vice-president" and Meghan told the crowd: "Your country is so beautiful!".
Harry and Meghan took to the stage alongside Colombia's vice-president Francia Marquez, whose office organised the couple's four-day tour of the South American country.
The city’s mayor Alejandro Eder told the Mirror: "Prince Harry's Spanish was actually quite good. Then he switched to English, and his wife translated for him. She has very good Spanish."
Mr Eder said that the couple were later gifted presents, including a bottle of Viche — a beloved local liquor native to the Pacific region of Colombia — and a wooden marimba to represent their appearance at the festival. The mayor's wife also gave Meghan a handmade bag made from sustainable material.
Harry and Meghan greeted and hugged a children's choir who were onstage with them to say goodbye before later speaking with other artists backstage. The Duchess wore a vibrant green dress for the festivities, while Harry plumped for a blue linen shirt - a staple for him on the trip.
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