dpa
Bogota
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, have been welcomed to Colombia as they began their four-day tour of the South American nation.
Harry and Meghan were met in the capital Bogota on Thursday by Colombia’s Vice President Francia Marquez and her husband Rafael Yerney Pinillo. They spent around half-an-hour at the vice-president’s residence, where they exchanged welcome gifts and were offered tea, coffee and traditional pandebono - Colombian cheese bread.
The Sussexes are being given a full security detail throughout their visit alongside Marquez, who invited the couple to travel to Colombia for what has been dubbed a DIY royal tour.
Answering questions from journalists at a press conference ahead of their arrival, Marquez said she was inspired to ask Harry and Meghan to visit the country after being moved by their Netflix documentary.
“I saw the Netflix series about their life, their story and that moved me and motivated me to say that this is a woman who deserves to come to our country and tell her story and her exchange will undoubtedly be an empowerment to so many women in the world,” Marquez said.
The Sussexes’ controversial six-part Netflix show, aired just three months after Queen Elizabeth II’s death, laid bare their troubled relationship with the royal family and the struggles which led to their decision to step back from the working monarchy.