Why Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are in Morocco
Royal couple touring North African nation on official trip to promote female education and empowerment
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are doing their bit for girl power after jetting into Morocco this weekend for a three-day tour - their last international trip before the birth of their first child.
The couple were “warmly welcomed into Morocco on Saturday evening” by a guard of honour and an enthusiastic crowd, who had waited for two hours after the royals’ flight into Casablanca Airport was delayed, reports the Daily Express.
Meghan Markle, whose baby is due in late April or early May, had spent the previous week in New York, where high-profile friends threw her a baby shower.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Morocco trip is intended to boost ties between the UK and the North African nation, with a focus on women’s empowerment, girl’s education, inclusivity and the encouragement of social entrepreneurship, says Hello! magazine.
Prince Harry and his wife are being hosted by King Mohammed VI in a royal palace, and were “offered dates and milk with orange blossom upon their arrival; a tradition often witnessed at Moroccan weddings”, adds CNN.
On Sunday morning, the couple visited a boarding house in the town of Ansi, where Meghan got a temporary henna tattoo of three flowers on her left hand. In the afternoon, they attended a cooking demonstration in the capital Rabat, where children from under-privileged backgrounds learned traditional Moroccan recipes from a top chef.
This morning, the pair paid a visit to Rabat’s Moroccan Royal Federation of Equestrian Sports, to learn about Morocco’s “developing programme of supporting children with special needs through equine therapy”, the London Evening Standard reports.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
The Duke and Duchess are also attending a horse grooming session with some of the children, before watching a riding demonstration.
-
Is the Chinese embassy a national security risk?Today’s Big Question Keir Starmer set to approve London super-complex, despite objections from MPs and security experts
-
Why X faces UK ban over Grok deepfake nudesThe Explainer Ofcom is investigating whether Elon Musk’s AI chatbot breached Online Safety Act
-
The ‘eclipse of the century’ is coming in 2027Under the radar It will last for over 6 minutes
-
Iran cuts internet as protests escalateSpeed Reada Government buildings across the country have been set on fire
-
US nabs ‘shadow’ tanker claimed by RussiaSpeed Read The ship was one of two vessels seized by the US military
-
How Bulgaria’s government fell amid mass protestsThe Explainer The country’s prime minister resigned as part of the fallout
-
Femicide: Italy’s newest crimeThe Explainer Landmark law to criminalise murder of a woman as an ‘act of hatred’ or ‘subjugation’ but critics say Italy is still deeply patriarchal
-
Brazil’s Bolsonaro behind bars after appeals run outSpeed Read He will serve 27 years in prison
-
Americans traveling abroad face renewed criticism in the Trump eraThe Explainer Some of Trump’s behavior has Americans being questioned
-
Nigeria confused by Trump invasion threatSpeed Read Trump has claimed the country is persecuting Christians
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party