Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have met with students in Colombia during their tour of the country for a session focused on the digital landscape and its effects on society.
According the the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s press office, the couple visited a local charter school, Colegio Cultura Popular, where the class discussed “their favorite and least favorite parts of social media, technology, and navigating life on the internet.”
Duchess Meghan said the group was incredibly “impressive, smart, and savvy” and highlighted the importance of them aiming to be “self reliant and not tech reliant.”
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She said research by their own organization, Archewell, found that the global average that someone checks their social media is 42 times per day, while in Latin America the average is much higher at 67 times per day.
Their office said in a bulletin Thursday that the tour kicked off at approximately 9 a.m. Bogotá time, when the couple were “warmly welcomed to Colombia” by Vice President Francia Márquez and her partner, Rafael Yerney Pinillo.
The two couples breakfasted on coffee, tea, and traditional pan de bono (Colombian cheese bread) before exchanging gifts.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and Colombia's Vice President Francia Marquez hug, in Bogota, Colombia August 15, 2024.
Eric Charbonneau/Archewell/Handout via Reuters
Prince Harry, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Colombia's Vice President Francia Marquez and her partner Rafael Yerney Pinillo pose for a photograph, in Bogota, Colombia August 15, 2024.
Colombia Vice Presidency/Handout via ReutersThe couple spent half an hour at the Vice President’s office. Harry was dressed in a suit without a tie while Meghan wore a sleeveless pant suit.
The bulletin said that Marquez “expressed her gratitude for the couple’s official visit. The VP shared that she feels she and the Sussexes share the same ideals and goals when it comes to championing a better, safer digital future and mental health landscape for our children and the world.”
The trip is due to conclude Sunday after visiting Cartagena and Cali, with Harry due to meet members of the Team Colombia Invictus Games.
For security reasons, the couple’s detailed itinerary has not been released.
Harry’s chief of staff, Josh Kettler, left his job with Harry and Meghan just days before the tour began. A source told The Daily Beast the decision was mutual. A source told the Daily Mail Thursday: “Josh soon realized that the job wasn’t for him. There were aspects of it that he wasn’t comfortable with. He thought it was better to leave now than to continue in a job that he did not enjoy.”
