Meghan Markle And Prince Harry Are Planning A Royal Tour Of Africa
And Archie might be accompanying them…
After welcoming their firstborn son in May, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are planning the months ahead and it looks like they’ll be doing some travelling.
ITV reports that the royal couple will be embarking upon a royal tour, their first tour post baby, to several countries on the African continent including Malawi, Angola and South Africa. The trip will have a humanitarian focus and see Harry work with a number of charities. His mother, Princess Diana, is remembered for carrying out much of her humanitarian work across Africa.
Harry will reportedly be working with Sentebale in Malawi, a charity he co-founded with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, helping vulnerable children in Malawi, Botswana and Lesotho. In Angola, the Duke of Sussex will be following in his mother’s footsteps. Princess Diana was a vocal detractor of landmine use and visited Angola with charity The Halo Trust in the months before her death – there’s a now-iconic image of her walking through an active minefield in 1997 to demonstrate her commitment to the cause. Prince Harry himself has worked with The Halo Trust in the past, travelling to Mozambique in 2010 to learn about landmine clearance. In preparation for his trip, Buckingham Palace has announced that Prince Harry will attend a Halo Trust-sponsored conference in London on mine clearance, conservation, and economic development in Angola.
Anwar Hussein Collection Getty Images
Botswana has been tipped as another destination on the royals’ itinerary. Harry’s self-proclaimed ‘second home’, the couple have been involved in conservation work there, visiting the African nation in the early days of their relationship and returning for Meghan‘s 36th birthday. It’s clearly a place that holds a lot of meaning for them – maybe it will mark Archie’s first trip to foreign soil?
The trip is said to be happening later this year, but we don’t have an exact date. Some sources have suggested October, when Meghan officially returns to royal duties. If Archie comes along (that’s a big ‘if’), he’ll be around six months old, making him even younger than cousin Prince George, who went on his first royal tour at nine months old.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex in Morocco earlier this year
Rumours about an Africa trip have been flying since April, when it was reported that the couple’s new roles could take them to the continent for extended stays – years at a time. Buckingham Palace hasn’t yet confirmed the travel plans, but we’ll keep you posted.