Meghan, Harry, and Archie Are Going on Royal Tour This Month
It's official: Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are taking a royal tour of Southern Africa this month—and it appears their son, Archie, is coming with. The trip is expected to revolve around charities that matter deeply to Harry and include a nod to his late mother, Princess Diana. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have already confirmed their travel plans on Instagram. Here's what we know about the upcoming tour so far.
The tour begins on September 23.
Harry and Meghan's official visit to southern Africa will take place from Monday, September 23 to Wednesday, October 2, they announced in an official statement.
It looks like Archie is coming.
The Sussex's announcement had a very telling hint that Harry and Meghan's child will be tagging along: "This will be their first official tour as a family!"
A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on Jun 27, 2019 at 8:14am PDT
Archie, who was born in early May, will be about six months old by the time fall hits. That would make him "one of the youngest royals to go on an official tour," royal reporter Roya Nikkhah previously reported for The Sunday Times. Archie's cousin, Prince George, went on his first royal tour to New Zealand in April 2014 when he was nine months old.
Although the royal baby will be in tow, it's likely we won't see him during the Malawi and Angola legs of the trip, since Harry is expected to do those parts alone.
Countries in the agenda are: Malawi, Angola, South Africa, and Botswana.
The Sussexes will travel to South Africa, and Prince Harry will fulfill appearances solo in Malawi and Angola. He'll also make a "short working visit" to Botswana while he's in the region, according to a statement from the royal couple.
The exact schedule of events is yet to be released, but Prince Harry is expected to:
Highlight wildlife conservation efforts as President of African Parks and Patron of Rhino Conservation Botswana
Visit the MOD-African Parks ranger training in Malawi
Introduce a new Queen's Commonwealth Canopy initiative between Namibia, Botswana, and Angola to protect the Okavango Delta
Discuss socio-economic and environmental challenges with young leaders as President of the Queen's Commonwealth Trust
Meet with young people as the Commonwealth Youth Ambassador
Meet with African partners with the U.K. working on conservation issues in Botswana and Malawi
Meet a British military unit in Malawi helping local rangers and pay tribute to late guardsman Matthew Talbot, who died during counter-poaching operations this year
Honor his mother Princess Diana's work with raising awareness about landmines in Angola
Meanwhile, Duchess Meghan is slated to meet with female leaders and academics as Patron of the Association of Commonwealth Universities. Throughout their trip, the duke and duchess will raise awareness of the positive partnerships with the U.K. ahead of the U.K.-Africa Investment Summit next year, according to a press release. They'll visit projects working to encourage youth employment, education, health, and more.
ITV also previously reported that in Malawi, Harry is expected to help expand the reach of his charity Sentebale, which supports vulnerable children affected by the HIV epidemic in the country, as well as in Botswana and Lesotho. In Angola, he'll focus on the ongoing issue with landmines.
Harry will continue his mother's work.
The Duke of Sussex's landmine work in Angola will reflect some of Princess Diana's service in the country, ITV reports. Months before her death in 1997, she was photographed walking through a landmine-filled area in full protective gear to raise awareness on the issue and highlight the work done by The HALO Trust.
Prince Harry made a similar trip with the organization in Mozambique in 2010. Per ITV, the Duke of Sussex will attend a conference in London about landmine removal in Angola next week.
Harry and Meghan have visited Africa before.
The Duke of Sussex has visited the continent several times for service work, but he first brought Meghan there just weeks after their first date. "It was three, maybe four weeks later that I managed to persuade her to come join me in Botswana, and we camped out with each other under the stars," Harry said in their engagement interview. "She came and joined me for five days out there, which was absolutely fantastic."
The duo reportedly returned to Botswana for a trip in August 2017. Considering the importance of the location to them, Harry proposed to Meghan with an engagement ring that featured a center diamond from the African country.
The Sussexes' last royal tour was in October 2018.
For 16 days, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex toured Australia, New Zealand, Tonga, and Fiji. The busy schedule included 14 flights and 76 engagements. The couple even announced they were expecting a child at the beginning of the trip.
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