Meghan Brought Archie's Hand-Me-Downs for a Newly Announced Tour Event
A royal tour is no vacation. The schedule is overflowing with speeches, presidential audiences, and ambassadorial receptions; often, the royal in question packs over four public events into a single day. And Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's upcoming tour of Africa is no exception.
The overall plan has Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, and Archie arriving together in Cape Town, South Africa; after a couple days there, Harry will go off on his own to Malawi, Angola, and Botswana, before reuniting with his family in South Africa. (It's still unclear if baby Archie will make a public appearance himself, but Harry and Meghan "hope to include Archie at some point in the program," according to a royal source.)
As recently as Sunday, the royal couple have been adding events to the already tight itinerary. And then, of course, there's always the possibility of a "surprise" or "previously unannounced" engagement.
Below, the royal couple's full itinerary—at least, what's been revealed thus far.
September 24: Cape Town, South Africa
The Duke and Duchess will start their day at Monwabisi Beach, meeting with Waves for Change, a charity that works with local surfers to provide mental health support for youth. They'll also meet with the Lunchbox Fund, which provides daily meals for South African schoolchildren, as well as Waves for Change programs. (Devoted royal watchers will remember that the Lunchbox Fund was among the group of organizations that Meghan and Harry invited fans to donate to, in honor of their child's birth.)
Related to their work with the British Commonwealth, the royal couple will then meet with Dr. Thomas Maes, the man heading the Commonwealth Litter Program, which was launched at last year's London Commonwealth Summit.
Harry will then set on his own for a bit, to perform his duties of Captain General of the Royal Marines. The Duke will travel with the City of Cape Town Marine Unit by boat, to learn about how the organization combats abalone poaching. Later, Meghan will rejoin him to visit Bo Kaap in celebration of Heritage Day. The pair will see the oldest mosque in the country, Auwal mosque, and have tea with local residents.
A reception at the British High Commissioner's residence will finish off the day.
September 25: Cape Town, South Africa
The Duke and Duchess will undertake one of their most anticipated engagements of the tour: meeting with Archbishop Desmond Tutu and his wife at their legacy foundation. Previously, Prince Harry met with Tutu in 2015, presenting him with an honor.
Afterwards, Harry will leave to travel to Botswana, Angola, and Malawi, while Meghan remains in South Africa. In the afternoon, Meghan will stop by the Woodstock Exchange to meet women entrepreneurs and technology investors.
Shortly before their arrival in South Africa, one more event was announced for Meghan on September 25: a stop by Mothers2mothers, a charity that trains and employs women living with HIV as community health workers. The Duchess has reportedly brought along some of Archie's hand-me-downs to donate, as well as some books.
September 26: Botswana, Angola, and South Africa
Prince Harry will start his time in Botswana at the Chobe Forest Tree Reserve, planting trees alongside local schoolchildren. Then, he'll head to see a project run by Sentebale, a charity he co-founded with Lesotho's Prince Seesio. After that, it's on to Chobe National Park, where he'll dedicate a part of the forest to the Queen's Commonwealth Canopy.
From there, the royal will head to Angola. Harry will spend the evening at a new HALO Trust de-mining camp. Famously, his mother Princess Diana supported the organization's work back in 1997, when she walked through a minefield. Harry aims to continue her work on this tour.
Meanwhile, Meghan Markle will still be in Cape Town. She's set to attend a "Women in Public Service" breakfast at the High Commission.
September 27: Angola
In the morning, Harry will visit a working de-mining field. There, he'll remotely detonate a mine, speak with members of the local community, and deliver a speech about the importance of de-mining efforts. After that, the royal is set to announce a project he spearheaded: a three-country Queen's Commonwealth Canopy initiative. The area will include Angola’s Luengue-Luiana National Park, where current de-mining work is taking place.
Prince Harry will then travel to Huambo, to visit the exact location where Princess Diana was photographed walking through a minefield. Huambo's Governor Joana Lina—the same person who hosted Diana—will greet the prince.
Later, Harry is set to stop by the Huambo Orthopedic Center, which Diana also visited. The prince will unveil the center's new name, which will honor Princess Diana. After that, he'll tour the facilities, and say a few works.
Harry will finish off his day with a reception at the British Ambassador's residence in Luanda.
September 28: Angola
Prince Harry will begin his day at the Presidential Palace, having an audience with President Lourenço. After that, he'll head to the Maternity Hospital Lucrécia Paim, where he will learn about First Lady Ana Dias Lourenço's initiative to prevent mother-to-baby HIV/AIDS transmission.
September 29: Malawi
Harry will begin his first official visit to Malawi in Lilongwe, visiting the Nalikule College of Education. There, he'll meet with young women who are helped to attend secondary school by UKAid and the Campaign for Female Education. The initiative is supported by the Queen's Commonwealth Trust, of which Harry and Meghan are president and vice president, respectively.
After that, Prince Harry will have an audience with President Peter Mutharika. And in the evening, he'll attend a reception hosted by the British High Commissioner.
September 30: Malawi
Prince Harry will kick off the day by flying to Liwonde National Park. He'll pay tribute to Guardsman Mathew Talbot of the Coldstream Guards, who lost his life on an anti-poaching patrol.
Harry will then head to the park's headquarters to learn about the organization's operations. The royal will watch an anti-poaching demonstration, and, finally, he will dedicate Liwonde National Park and the neighboring Mangochi Forest to the Queen's Commonwealth Canopy.
October 1: Malawi and South Africa
Harry's schedule begins at Mauwa Health Centre, Pharmacy in a Box, and Youth Reproductive Health Outreach program. The project, supported by the U.K. and U.S., helps install solar-powered storage units for crucial medicines. After that, he'll return to South Africa to reunite with Meghan.
For her part, Meghan will attend a roundtable talk with the Association of Commonwealth Universities in Johannesburg, and meet with students to talk about the challenges young women face when pursuing higher education. After that, she'll visit a school to learn about a local charity that works to prevent, and raise awareness about, sexual violence in schools.
October 2: South Africa
Prince Harry and Meghan, now reunited, will visit a township near Johannesburg. There, the Sussexes will meet with local youth and entrepreneurs, as well as see efforts to combat South African youth's rising unemployment challenge.
After that, the royal couple will meet with Graça Machel, the window of Nelson Mandela. (Harry previously met Machel in 2015.)
In the afternoon, they'll attend a reception in honor of the U.K. and South Africa's business and investment relationship, in anticipation of next year's Africa Investment Summit, to be hosted in the U.K. The Duke and Duchess will speak with entrepreneurs and business leaders in creative industries, from both South Africa and the U.K.
Harry and Meghan will then finish off their royal tour with one last engagement: an audience with President Cyril Ramaphosa and his wife Dr. Tshepo Motsepe.
Earlier on the Tour
September 23: Cape Town, South Africa
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will begin their tour about Cape Town, South Africa. They'll stop by a workshop for children that educates them about "rights, self-awareness, and safety," and also teaches young girls self-defense skills with a focus on empowerment.
Later, the royal couple will visit the District Six Museum, which honors a community that was forcibly relocated during the apartheid era. Afterwards, Meghan and Harry conclude the day at the Homecoming Centre, where they'll take part in a community cooking activity alongside former District Six residents.
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