Meghan Markle and Prince Harry End Colombia Tour with Salsa Dancing and Memorable Gifts
"This trip was a dream."
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's royal tour of Colombia drew to a close on Sunday, after the couple spent four days traveling around the country.
The Sussexes followed a non-stop schedule during the trip, which included meeting "smart and savvy" students in a Bogotá school. Meghan and Harry played the drums during a subsequent school visit, and met Colombia's Invictus Games team during a stop at the Centro de Rehabilitación Inclusiva. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex also spoke Spanish when meeting Kindergarteners. And we simply can't forget Duchess Meghan's Colombia tour outfits, all of which were flawless.
On Saturday, the couple were seen to be having a lot of fun during visits to Cartagena and the village of San Basilio de Palenque, via the Daily Mail. Tubarco News shared video footage on X of the Sussexes salsa dancing, and the couple looked very comfortable together on the dance floor.
On Sunday, the Festival Petronio Álvarez Instagram account shared video footage of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex receiving a special gift on stage. The couple were given a musical instrument to commemorate their royal tour of Colombia, and they looked delighted during the gift giving. They were photographed alongside Colombia's Vice President Francia Márquez, and her partner Yerney Pinillo.
Prior to the arrival of the Sussexes, Márquez revealed she invited the royals to Colombia after watching their Netflix documentary series. "I first encountered them through the media, and I particularly watched the Netflix series about their lives and their story, which deeply moved me," Márquez said at a press conference on August 15. "It motivated me to say, 'This is a woman who deserves to visit our country and share her story.'"
Meghan had the opportunity to speak at the Afro-Descendant Women and Power: Voices of Equity summit on August 18. The special event "spotlighted Afro-Colombian women leaders speaking out about the challenges they face as a result of racism, gender bias and other issues," People reported.
At the event, the Duchess of Sussex revealed she had entered her "chapter of joy," saying, "The more that you are able to look at your life and really, truly recognize that if you’re going to be grateful for your life, you have to be grateful for all aspects of it—the parts that were opportunities for growth and may have felt really difficult, as well as the parts that feel inspiring, joyful and full." She continued, "My intentionality is to enjoy this chapter and to be able to move through every piece of that as best as I can."
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Celebrating her experiences during the royal tour in particular, Meghan told the audience, "Because we are in your country, my husband and I can feel this embrace from Colombia—it’s incredible." She continued, "The culture, the history—all of it—was a dream. This trip was a dream."
It would appear that Meghan and Harry's royal tour of Colombia was a great success, and illuminated how purposeful and hopeful they are about the future.
Amy Mackelden is a contributing editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.
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