Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have landed in South Africa to start a ten-day tour celebrating the continent’s people and culture.
The couple will be together in Cape Town and Johannesburg, but split midway through the trip when the Duke will visit neighbouring countries.
A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said: “The Duke of Sussex’s love for Africa is well known; he first visited the continent at the age of 13 and more than two decades later, the people, culture, wildlife and resilient communities continue to inspire and motivate him every day.”
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Where are they going?
Meghan will stay mostly in and around Cape Town and Johannesburg, while Prince Harry will travel alone to Malawi, Botswana and Angola.
Is baby Archie coming along?
The royals’ baby son Archie is joining them, making the trip their first overseas tour as a family.
The couple were seen with Archie Mountbatten-Windsor as they walked down the steps of their plane, says The Telegraph.
A royal spokeswoman said: “Their Royal Highnesses are very much looking forward to their arrival in Africa tomorrow on their first official tour as a family,” reports Hello! magazine.
“As you well know, Africa holds a very special place in the Duke’s heart and he is looking forward to sharing South Africa with the duchess and their son.
“It is a really busy programme, four countries in ten days, and we have an extra special small passenger to make things more lively,” she added.
The couple will donate some of Archie’s clothes and presents to babies being supported by the mothers2mothers project, which employs and trains women living with HIV.
“The Duchess decided to bring a number of his presents to re-gift them to South African children and families most in need,” said the royal spokeswoman.
What will the royals do on tour?
The couple will use the tour to promote causes they care about.
Their first engagement will be in a Cape Town township, where they will visit a women’s shelter and attend a workshop that teaches children about their rights and offers self-defence and safety training.
They will both speak out against the epidemic of violence against women in South Africa, which has been described as a national emergency by President Cyril Ramaphosa, says Hello!.
The Duke and Duchess will visit the District Six Museum, which commemorates the forced relocation of 60,000 people during apartheid, and join a community cooking demonstration.
On Tuesday the couple will visit charities supporting children in South Africa, including the Lunchbox Fund that provides meals for schoolchildren. The fund was among the organisations that the Sussexes invited fans to donate to in honour of baby Archie’s birth, says Town and Country magazine.
Harry will travel with the City of Cape Town Marine Unit by boat before rejoining Meghan to visit religious sites and meet local residents.
Wednesday will see the couple meet with Archbishop Desmond Tutu and his wife, before Harry sets off alone for Botswana.
The prince will use Thursday to plant trees with schoolchildren at the Chobe Forest Tree Reserve, before visiting charities and the Chobe National Park.
He will then head to Angola where he will spend the evening at the HALO Trust de-mining camp that Princess Diana supported in 1997.
Harry will visit a de-mining field on Friday morning where he will deliver a speech stressing the importance of de-mining operations. He will visit the same Huambo de-mining site and Huambo orthopaedic centre that his mother visited, before ending the evening at the British ambassador’s residence in Luanda.
Saturday will see Harry meeting Angola’s President Lourenco and learning about First Lady Ana Dias Lourenco’s initiative to prevent mother-to-baby HIV/Aids transmission, says Town and Country.
Harry will make his first official visit to Malawi on Sunday, where he will meet young women at the Nalikule College of Education. That evening he will have an audience with President Peter Mutharika before attending an event hosted by the British High Commission.
He will visit Liwonde National Park on Monday, where he will pay tribute to 22-year-old Guardsman Mathew Talbot of the Coldstream Guards, who died while on an anti-poaching patrol operation in May.
On 1 October Harry will visit Mauwa Health Centre in Malawi before heading back to South Africa to rejoin Meghan and Archie.
The Duchess will spend the morning at talks with the Association of Commonwealth Universities in Johannesburg and visiting a school to learn about local efforts to prevent sexual violence in schools.
The couple will spend 2 October together visiting a township near Johannesburg to learn about South Africa’s efforts to combat rising unemployment. They will then meet Graca Machel, widow of South Africa’s former president Nelson Mandela.
They will attend an event celebrating UK and South African business and investment relationships, before finishing the tour by meeting South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and his wife Tshepo Motsepe.
