was all smiles as she arrived at a heavily-guarded theatre in Colombia, accompanied by . The Duchess of Sussex is on female empowerment on the final day of their tour. She looked stunning in a sleeveless white shirt and jeweled skirt as she greeted attendees at the Municipal Theater in Cali during the Afro women and power forum.
A proud Harry watched as Meghan shook hands with members of the audience. As with , security was tight around the theatre, with heavily armed soldiers, explosive officers, and police officers, including one with a dog, standing guard. Later, the Royal couple is expected to attend the Petronio Alvarez Festival, a celebration of Afro-Colombian music.
This will be the final event of their four-day trip to the South American country. This follows the Sussexes' visit to the port city of Cartagena yesterday, where they visited a local drum school that preserves traditional African drumming. At the school, Harry and Meghan received a small handcrafted wooden boat from a student, a tribute to the beautiful coastal town and its beaches.
They then participated in a drum lesson led by the students, followed by a performance that brought both the vice president and Meghan to their feet. Following their visit, the couple received a warm reception in "a little corner of Africa" a symbol of anti-colonial resistance. They visited the historic north Colombian village of San Basilio de Palenque, founded by escaped slaves in the 17th century and recognized as the Americas' first 'free town' for Africans.
Amid heavy security, Harry, who has acknowledged the Royal family's profit from slavery, and Meghan, of Nigerian heritage, were welcomed. The couple's security in Colombia includes an officer armed with a Kevlar shield to deter potential shooters. This local security detail member is often seen jumping out of a vehicle ahead of the couple, holding the folding shield at nearly all events they attend.
This ballistic briefcase, as it's known, is also used to protect the country's vice president, who is hosting the visit and has been the target of several assassination attempts. Last year, her protection team discovered 7kg of explosives buried in a rural road leading to her home in the southwestern province of Cauca. Just two months ago, her father and six year old nephew narrowly escaped after gunmen fired at their car, leaving it riddled with bullets.
Security websites describe the ballistic briefcase as a discreet close protection and rapid-deployment safety device. The heightened security around the party in Colombia, a country with travel advisory warnings from the Foreign Commonwealth Development Office, is likely to cause a stir. Meanwhile, the Duke has insisted that it's 'dangerous' for Meghan to return to the UK.
Harry suffered a setback in February when he lost a High Court challenge against the Home Office over a decision to alter his personal security level during UK visits. However, he has been granted permission to appeal. All the latest news, showbiz, lifestyle and sports updates, brought to you by our dedicated American team.
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