Meghan & Vice President Marquez's Boondoggle Bonding Trip
Two weeks ago this Sunday, Meghan and Harry wrapped up their four-day trip to Colombia. The Vice President of Colombia said she watched Harry and Meghan’s Netflix documentary and decided to invite them to visit Colombia. It was an odd visit, because it was clearly just a personal whim on the part of Marquez, who accompanied Meghan and Harry everywhere. The predominant themes of the trip were celebration of Afro-Colombian heritage and online safety for children. This in a country where 10% of the population is of African descent (so, 90% isn’t) and child prostitution is a significant issue. I have no problem with celebrating one’s heritage or protecting children online, but this was not a visit that was marketed for the general population, which is not the norm for a royal tour or a visit that is publicly funded by the host nation. At the end of the day, the trip was a PR extravaganza for a single government official and for the Sussexes. One wonders how all Colombians feel about the price tag of the tour.
If you had trouble following along, I have a quick rundown of the events, the clothes, and some snarky commentary for good measure.
Day 1 (Thursday the 15th)
On the first day, Meghan had three outfits. The Veronica Beard summer suit she arrived in and in which she undertook at least one initial engagement.
She then changed into the Johanna Ortiz Navajo Weaver dress with Jimmy Choo mules and Lanvin earrings. I am not a Meghan fashion expert, but I am pretty sure this is the second if not third time she has worn almost this exact design from Johanna Ortiz? Although I can see why this might not have been a good choice in Nigeria, I thought this dress worked well in Colombia. I may not like Meghan, but she did look good on this trip.
The couple closed the day on a panel about a “responsible digital future.” I turned to sussex.com—aka their blog— for background:
A central focus of the summit was the urgent need to highlight online safety in the Global South. . . . The conversation highlighted how The Archewell Foundation’s extensive global reach and unique programming are well-positioned to influence cultural and policy changes, especially in anticipation of the country’s Global Ministerial Conference scheduled for November.
Its extensive global reach? I am pretty sure Archewell is barely hanging on as a functioning organization at all, let alone an effective global entity. God bless these two.