Big question ahead of Harry and Meghan’s quasi-royal Colombia trip: Why? – Lowell Sun

For reasons that are not entirely clear, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will begin their four-day trip to Colombia on Thursday — what is being described as a “quasi-royal” tour because they are no longer representing the British government, but only their own interests and personal goals.

The California-based couple can expect glowing, wall-to-wall coverage from a reporter representing “a hand-picked publication” who has been chosen to be part of their entourage, according to The Telegraph. Meghan is sure to make multiple designer outfit changes as the American former TV actress and her husband help their host, Vice President Francia Marquez, “highlight Colombia’s role as a beacon of culture and innovation.”

The trip is expected to include photogenic stops in the capital Bogota and the regions of Cartagena and Cali, The Telegraph reported. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will visit a city founded by runaway slaves that has become a symbol of anti-colonial resistance. They will also continue the work of their Archewell Foundation, which focuses on improving online environments for young people, by attending a summit of experts, activists and community members, People reported. At one point, they will also meet Colombian Invictus Games competitors at a lunch hosted by Marquez.

But questions have been raised about the real purpose of the high-profile trip and who is really profiting from it. The Telegraph and the Daily Mail report that the tour has stirred controversy, with claims from people in Colombia that Harry and Meghan risk being used as “political pawns” by a government facing unrest, corruption scandals and opposition from other branches of power.

“I’m sure Meghan and Harry mean well, but everyone here is talking about how clearly they are being manipulated,” a prominent Bogota lawyer told the Daily Mail. “Of course their star power will be used to draw attention to poor people and certain cultural areas in Colombia … but the reality is that the Colombian government has been drowning in scandal since it came into power two years ago. They need something to please people at home and make them look good abroad.”

President Gustavo Petro is a former leftist guerrilla fighter and mayor of Bogotá who promised to transform Colombia into a more equal society, NPR reported. But he has faced criticism and protests for failing to implement promised reforms in health care, education and benefits for single mothers and abused women, the Daily Mail reported.

Some of the criticism is self-inflicted, NPR added. He’s known for his inflammatory rhetoric and has been accused of cheating on his wife, while his foreign minister has been suspended over alleged corruption and his 2022 campaign is being investigated for possible illegal donations, NPR and the Daily Mail reported. He also recently alleged that a rebel commander paid to have him assassinated by snipers. Meanwhile, Colombia continues to struggle to overcome its reputation as a country overrun by drug trafficking and murderous cartels.

There is no indication that Harry and Meghan will meet Petro, since their invitation came from his vice president. Still, the two face other questions — which they are unlikely to answer — about who will pay for their flights to Colombia, their expected luxury accommodations and their security, according to The Telegraph. The government — and therefore Colombian taxpayers — are expected to foot the bill for providing them with high levels of security, especially if they are traveling with Marquez, who has been the target of assassination attempts, the Daily Mail reported.

“People are complaining why the Colombian taxpayer should have to foot the huge security bill for what is essentially a public relations exercise for the Sussexes and a government desperate to distract from its failures,” a source told the Daily Mail.

The trip to Colombia has also sparked criticism over Harry’s claims that he doesn’t feel safe taking Meghan and his children to the UK, as he was cut off from armed police protection when he and Meghan stepped down from royal duties and moved to California in 2020. But now he and his wife are travelling to Colombia, with the British and US governments warning against travel to certain regions amid concerns over terrorism, kidnapping and street crime.

Because Harry and Meghan are not traveling to Colombia in an official diplomatic capacity, they cannot rely on expert advice from the British Foreign Office on how to handle sensitive political or cultural issues.

“When you have this quasi-royal status, you’re seen as a royal internationally and you’re treated as one on tour, but you don’t have the protection of the Foreign Office,” royal author Anna Pasternak told The Telegraph. “This is a high-risk tour for them.”

“When a country invites you, you have to ask yourself, ‘What’s the agenda?'” Pasternak continued. “How does this fit into the narrative and how do they want to be perceived on a global scale?”

Pasternak wrote a book about Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor, another American who married a member of the British royal family but was banished from the monarchy’s seat of power. Pasternak sees some parallels between Harry and Meghan’s quasi-royal trips to Nigeria last spring and now Colombia and the controversial trips Edward and Wallis took as “private citizens” at the invitation of foreign governments.

One trip in particular demonstrated the Duke and Duchess of Windsor’s poor judgment and greatly damaged their reputation. In 1937, the year after Edward abdicated, he and Wallis visited Germany, where they were feted as royalty with power and influence. They also had tea with Hermann Göring, attended Hitler Youth training, and were photographed meeting Hitler himself. Less than two years later, Hitler invaded Poland and the United Kingdom and France declared war on Germany, beginning World War II.

While no one believes the Sussexes would ever become embroiled in anything approaching rising Nazism, Pasternak and others explained that there are potential risks in Harry and Meghan mingling with government leaders without following normal diplomatic protocol. The British government has tried to distance itself as much as possible from the Sussexes’ global activities, with a Foreign Office source telling the Daily Mail that their trip to Colombia is “completely irrelevant” to British interests abroad.

But Pasternak believes Harry shares some of Edward’s reasons for pushing for these quasi-royal trips. Edward and Wallis accepted Germany’s invitation to visit in 1937 “because Edward felt so hurt and angry at the way Wallis had been snubbed by the royal family, and he desperately wanted her to experience the pomp and circumstance of a royal tour.”

“He wanted Wallis to be addressed as HRH and for people to bow down to her,” Pasternak continued. “I’m not suggesting that Harry wants the pomp and circumstance of a royal tour, but there is a sense that he wants to elevate Meghan to the status that has been accorded to her.”

Originally published: August 16, 2024 at 2:50 PM