Meghan Markle and Prince Harry arrive in Colombia for ‘quasi-royal tour’ after Chief of Staff resigns

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have touched down in Colombia. 

The couple arrived in the South American country on Thursday, August 15, and is set to begin a four-day visit, which many describe as their second “quasi-royal tour.”

The trip comes three days after Meghan and Harry’s chief of staff, Josh Kettler, left his post after only three months. Kettler was on the couple’s payroll only on a “trial basis.” Parting ways was said to be a “mutual decision.”

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, 39 and 43, respectively, traveled to Colombia after accepting an invitation from the country’s Vice President, Francia Márquez. Speaking at the event on Thursday, Márquez said she was inspired to invite the couple after watching their Netflix documentary, “Harry & Meghan,” released in late 2022. 

Márquez met with the Montecito, California, residents shortly after they landed in the Colombian capital of Bogota.

Markle gave the vice president and her partner, Rafael Yerney, a “personal gift” before having an “intimate tea and coffee hour” at her residence.

During the reception, Márquez told Meghan of her “personal admiration” for Prince Harry’s mother, the late Diana, Princess of Wales, according to Harper’s Bazaar. The outlet, favored by the Sussexes, is accompanying them on their trip. 

Meghan and Harry coordinated in navy blue for the meeting, with the Duchess wearing a halter top sleeveless suit and the prince opting for a French blue button-down shirt sans tie to accompany his dark blue suit.

The VP posted a photo on X of her greeting the couple.

“We wanted to invite Meghan, an Afro-descendant woman, to participate in that meeting and share her experiences,” Márquez said of their visit.

Márquez added that the trip has been in the works for over a year and that she had hoped Meghan would visit Colombia for the International Afro-descendant Women’s Day on July 25, 2023.

“At that time we sent her a letter inviting her and she responded to us – the letter said that she couldn’t come but she was eager to visit and get to know our country,” Márquez revealed. 

“Since then we have been working for a year to achieve this visit, which is so important and good.”

The vice president continued, “[As for] how I met Meghan and Harry, well, I met them in the media but above all I saw the series on Netflix about her life and her story and that moved me and motivated me to say: this is a woman who deserves to come to our country and tell her story.”

“Without a doubt it will be a strengthening for so many women in the world,” she said.

Aware of the attention the couple brings to every place they visit and every cause they support, Márquez added, “I also want to take advantage of the media, of national and international communication, to invite the world to visit our country.”