Harry And Meghan Are Officially Going On Tour This Fall
For months fans have been speculating that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will be going on a royal tour to Africa, and now it has officially been confirmed. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will go on tour to South Africa this fall, the British High Commissioner to South Africa confirmed on Wednesday. Speaking at a press conference in Pretoria, Gauteng, Nigel Casey said: “They are going to be coming back to visit us in South Africa this autumn.
“That’s great news for us. I predict it’s also good news for the South African economy because I predict a hat and frock buying frenzy to rival even SONA [the country’s State of the Nation Address, which took place last Thursday], which could well restore economic growth all on its own,” he joked.
“We’re hugely looking forward to that and thanks in anticipation for that and all the support that I know we’re going to receive.”
Prince Harry and Meghan also confirmed the news through an Instagram post on Thursday.
“TRH The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are excited to announce that they have been asked to carry out a tour to Southern Africa this autumn,” a spokesperson for the couple wrote on their official Instagram account.
“The Foreign and Commonwealth Office have requested a visit to South Africa, as well as The Duke carrying out visits to Malawi and Angola. His Royal Highness will also do a short working visit to Botswana on route to the other countries.
“The Duke and Duchess are really looking forward to meeting so many of you on the ground and continuing to raise awareness of the high impact work local communities are doing across the commonwealth and beyond,” they added.
In the post it was also confirmed that their son, Archie, will be joining his parents on the tour, marking his first royal tour. They added: “This will be their first official tour as a family!”
If they end up taking Archie on the royal tour, he will become the youngest royal baby to travel abroad, according to royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams.
“William travelled first when he was nine months old, and George when he was eight [months old], so the precedents are there, not that a couple as independent as Harry and Meghan need precedents,” Fitzwilliams previously has stated.
The trip is speculated to take place over the span of a couple of weeks, with any other bigger plans to be decided on in the future.
Katie Nicholl, a journalist and royal biographer and often times seen royal commentator, says that the couple will most likely use the trip for a “sabbatical”, but does not totally turn down the possibility of a longer stay in the continent.
“Africa, Botswana, in particular, has always been a very special place for Harry. He calls it his spiritual home and it’s where he and Meghan fell in love so I think it’s probably high up on the couple’s wish list,” she said. “They will be going away for a sabbatical lasting months rather than a two year stay and from what I am told they are keen to explore and experience life in different countries in the Commonwealth, an area which has been earmarked for the couple by the Queen and the Prince of Wales who are, together with the couple, instrumental in these talks.”