The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s royal tour of southern Africa is officially underway with the couple and four-month-old Archie landing in Cape Town, South Africa on Monday morning, South African time.
Day one of the 10-day tour saw Harry and Meghan breaking out their dance moves as they were greeted by dancers during their visit to the township of Nyanga in the South African capital.
Day 1 of the Sussexes’ royal tour of southern Africa kicked off with plenty of fun. (Image: Getty)
While Harry and Meghan originally observed and clapped along to the beat, it wasn’t long until Meghan was pulled in for a dance by 23-year-old Lilitha Mazana, who told Hello! afterwards: “Meghan’s a good dancer. She’s very nice.
“Her skills were fantastic. I’ve been dancing for ten years.”
Meghan showed off her moves as she joined dancers for a boogie. (Image: Getty)
The family-of-three had a low-key arrival earlier that morning on an overnight British Airways flight, and were quickly whisked off to a Justice Desk Initiative in Nyanga, an initiative which teaches children their rights and where young girls in the community are given self-defense classes and female empowerment workshops.
The organisation is supported by the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust, which Harry is president of while Meghan is vice-president.
Meghan looked glowing in a patterned black and white dress by sustainable Malawian designer Mayamiko which she paired with black espadrille wedges (a favourite of her sister-in-law Catherine), while Harry wore a white linen shirt, dark grey chinos and beige sneakers.
Meghan and Harry greeted and chatted with children and parents at a Justice Desk initiative in the township of Nyanga. (Image: Getty)
The couple greeted and chatted to parents and youngsters and at one point Prince Harry was seen kissing the hands of an elderly community worker and overheard saying, “Thank you for having us, thank you so much.
“You’re doing an amazing thing here, you’re doing a very good job.”
Both Harry and Meghan also gave passionate speeches to the crowd with Harry saying, “Touching on what your president said last week – no man is born to cause harm to women, this is learned behaviour, and a cycle that needs to be broken.
“So now, it’s about redefining masculinity, it’s about creating your own footprints for your children to follow in, so that you can make a positive change for the future.”
Adding, “To me, the real testament of your strength isn’t physical, it’s what’s up here and what’s in here. Your strength is in your spirit, which for me means honouring and protecting my wife, and being a positive role model for my son.”
In Meghan’s speech, she quote Maya Angelou, the American poet and civil rights activist saying, “Each time a woman stands up for herself, without knowing it possibly, without claiming it, she stands up for all women.”
She also added: “May I just say that while I am here with my husband as a member of the Royal Family, I want you to know that for me I am here with you as a mother, as a wife, as a woman, as a woman of colour and as your sister.
“I am here with you and I am here for you and I thank you so much for showing my husband and I the spirit of Ubuntu and I look forward to our time over the next few days together.”
Meghan and Harry gave passionate speeches which were met by cheers from the crowd. (Image: Getty)
Following their speeches the couple departed for the second and final engagement of the day at The District Six Museum and the Homecoming Centre, which helps to show and tell the story of the neighbourhood’s rich cultural heritage.
The couple had a first-hand look and understanding of how much of the diverse community was destroyed, with people subjected to forced relocation during the apartheid era.
During their visit the couple were treated to food cooked by the local women, which showcased a variety of dishes and the importance cooking has in helping to bring the community together, something Meghan feels incredibly strongly about (as shown in her Together cookbook project last year).
Meghan and Harry switched up their outfits for their second engagement with Harry donning a light grey suit with a crisp white shirt, while Meghan re-wore her gorgeous blue Veronica Beard shirt-dress, which she wore during their royal tour to Tonga last year and shared again in a photo posted to Instagram by Harry, to mark Meghan’s 38th birthday.
While Archie was absent from the first day of engagements, there’s still nine days to go, and as previously reported the royal couple are eager to have Archie out and about during their tour, so there’s a high chance we could catch a proper glimpse of him very soon.
The royal couple had a quick outfit change ahead of their second engagement for the day. (Image: Getty)
Day two is set to be just as action-packed as the first, with the couple planned to travel to Monswabisi Beach to learn about the NGO Waves for Change and the work of the Lunchbox Fund in the morning, followed by a trip to Seal Island, a visit to the Bo Kaap area and Auwal mosque and finally concluding their second day with a reception at the British High Commissioner’s Residence.
See their full 10-day itinerary here.
