ROYAL CUDDLE
Prince Harry & Meghan Markle hug schoolkids and have tea with scandal-hit Colombian VP as ‘faux royal tour’ begins
Here's why Harry and Meghan have been invited to the Latin American country
PRINCE Harry and Meghan Markle cuddled students and enjoyed tea and cake with Colombia's scandal-hit VP as their ‘faux royal tour’ kicked off today.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were welcomed to Colombia by Vice President Francia Márquez at 9am local time.
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They headed into Marquez's residence for coffee, tea, and traditional pan de bono, a cheesy Colombian bread.
After meeting with Marquez and her partner, the pair headed on to a local school to meet with students and staff.
The Duke and Duchess grinned as crowds of young pupils embraced them on the visit.
Harry leaned in with a group of kids as they posed for a happy photograph.
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Harry and Meghan stayed at the official VP residence for half an hour, greeting Marquez and her partner Rafael Yerney Pinillo with a gift.
Marquez told the couple of her personal admiration for Harry's mum Princess Diana over tea, reports.
They later went on to the Colegio Cultura Popular, a local children's school, for a meeting about creating a healthier digital landscape.
The Duke and Duchess spoke to children in a session where the class talked about their favourite and least favourite parts of social media, technology and dealing with life on the internet.
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Meghan said the group should aim to be “self-reliant and not tech-reliant” while Harry about asked the conversations they have with their families around managing social media and literacy.
Meghan wore a stylish navy summer suit with a white handbag and black heels for day one of their tour.
Harry opted for a navy suit with an open-necked blue shirt and black shoes.
Afterwards the school visit the couple were treated to a theatre performance as well as a music and dance show at the Plaza del Carnaval y la Cultura in San Juan de Pasto.
And this evening they are set to kick off a three-part conference on internet safety.
In speech before they arrived, Marquez said: "I learned their story through Netflix and I was moved by it.
"Meghan is a woman who deserves to come to the country and tell her story.
"Last year we held a meeting on July 25, the day of Afro-descendant women.
"We wanted to invite Meghan, an Afro-descendant woman, to that meeting so she could share her experiences.
"We sent her a letter inviting her, and she replied saying that she couldn't come, but that she really wanted to get to know the country.
"Since then, we have been working for a year for this visit."
Marquez was asked about a trip Princess Diana had planned to make to Colombia shortly before she died in 1997.
She said: "I think that Prince Harry being here today after that dream of his mum’s of visiting this country is an opportunity to show the best of our nation, to show who Colombians are.
"We are people who in the midst of adversities do everything possible to give the best of ourselves."
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It comes after a top lawyer said Meghan and Harry are being "manipulated" by the Colombian government.
The prominent lawyer in the Colombian capital Bogota said the vice-president hosting the couple has been hit by a string of scandals.
Harry and Meghan are set to jet off to Colombia today before touring Bogota and the coastal regions of Cartagena and Cali.
The pair were invited to the Latin American country by its Vice President Francia Márquez.
A prominent Bogota lawyer told the : "I'm sure Meghan and Harry mean well.
"But everyone here is talking about how obviously they are being manipulated.
"Of course, their star-power will be used to bring attention to poor people and certain areas of culture in Colombia.
"But the reality is the Colombian government has been drowning in scandal since it came in two years ago.
"They need something to appease people at home and make them look good abroad."
The Sussexes' representatives have been contacted for comment.
Colombia's left-wing government has recently faced opposition in Congress and on the streets over its social reforms.
Harry & Meghan's aide QUITS after 3 months - so why have 18 of their staff left?
President Gustavo Petro's approval rate has been stuck at 34% for months.
Petro has sacked centrist figures in his cabinet who opposed his expensive pension and healthcare plans.
Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets in April to protest the reforms and Congress blocked the bill.
Tax collection has in fact slumped and in June Colombia's finance minister blocked spending on new projects, reports.
Violence and corruption are also on the uptick - with shootings and kidnappings a common occurrence in the country's south.
Colombia's former disaster-response chief and a number of officials face a bribery probe over pork-barrel spending in the poor region of La Guajira.
Previously, Francia Marquez said: "I am pleased to announce that Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, have kindly accepted my invitation to visit our beautiful country.
"The Duke and Duchess will join me in visiting Bogotá, as well as the Caribbean and Pacific regions of Cartagena and Cali.
"In these vibrant locations, they will have the exceptional opportunity to engage with leaders, youth, and women who embody the aspirations and voices of Colombians committed to progress."
Francia Márquez added: "Their visit comes at a particularly significant time.
"It precedes the first Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children, to be held in Colombia this November.
"The Archewell Foundation, founded by The Duke and Duchess, is renowned for its global leadership in fostering a safer online environment.
"The forthcoming conference will unveil a comprehensive framework for creating safer physical and digital spaces.
"It will tackle issues such as cyberbullying, online exploitation, and the mental health impacts of these threats.
"It will offer actionable solutions and commitments for countries around the world."
It comes after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's chief of staff quit days before the couple's Colombia trip.
Josh Kettler has left his role as the couple's fixer after only three months.
Veteran PR supremo Kettler had reportedly been brought in to ";guide Harry through his next phase".
Kettler was hired on a trial basis and left by mutual consent after both sides agreed he wasn't right for the job, reports.
But it's understood Kettler's departure is not related to the upcoming trip.
Kettler joined Harry on his recent visit to London to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Invictus Games.
He was pictured entering St Paul's Cathedral with the Duke for the ceremony.
Kettler was also a key figure on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's three-day "tour" of Nigeria.
Last month, Prince Harry's charity chief Dominic Reid quit his role as chief executive of the Invictus Games Foundation.
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Reid's resignation came just days after Harry was blasted for choosing to accept the Pat Tillman Award for Service.
The duke thanked Reid for his "dedication and leadership" in a heartfelt note after his resignation.
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