At last, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry kicked off their Africa tour on Monday, September 23, with a little song, dance and PDA. The Duke and the Duchess of Sussex’s 10-day tour with baby son Archie Harrison began with a flight delay following a whirlwind past few days of celebrating their friend Misha Nonoo’s wedding to Mikey Hess in Rome. Despite some travel woes, the two touched down at Cape Town International Airport with work in mind.
The power couple first made their way to Nyanga, a local township, where they were greeted with much fanfare. Holding hands initially as they made their way through the town, the duo eventually split up to greet individual members and children in the crowd.
CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA – SEPTEMBER 23: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex smile as they visit a Justice Desk initiative in Nyanga township, during their royal tour of South Africa on September 23, 2019 in Cape Town, South Africa. The Justice Desk initiative teaches children about their rights and provides self-defence classes and female empowerment training to young girls in the community. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA – SEPTEMBER 23: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex smile as they visit a Justice Desk initiative in Nyanga township, during their royal tour of South Africa on September 23, 2019 in Cape Town, South Africa. The Justice Desk initiative teaches children about their rights and provides self-defence classes and female empowerment training to young girls in the community. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
Naturally, when the two are together, there are occasional moments of PDA. At one point, while posing with a group of schoolchildren, Prince Harry adjusted his wife’s ponytail to make sure it was positioned in the right spot. (The Sussexes are known for being more outwardly tender than other members of the royal family.)
prince “let me help you with your hair” harry attacks again #SussexRoyalTour pic.twitter.com/ytyAcXaeg1
— barb (@daernerys) September 23, 2019
Of course, the purpose of the couple being there spanned beyond just their sweet interaction. Markle took a moment to speak out about the issue of violence against women—which she had previously declared one of her areas of interest upon joining the British Royal Family in 2018.
“The rights of women and girls is something that’s very close to my heart and a cause I’ve spent the majority of my life advocating for,” she said, “because I know that when women are empowered, the entire community flourishes.”
The Duchess of Sussex concluded her powerful remarks by acknowledging her platform as a feminist and an advocate for women’s rights. “May I just say that while I’m here with my husband as a member of the royal family, I want you to know from me, I am here with you as a mother, as a wife, as a woman, as a woman of color and as your sister,” the former actress noted.
