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Royal baby Archie awaited in S.Africa for first official trip
JOHANNESBURG, Sept 21, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Britain’s Prince Harry, his wife
Meghan and baby Archie are expected in South Africa on Monday to begin their
first official tour as a family since their son’s birth in May.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will begin the 10-day trip in the coastal
city of Cape Town — an international tourist destination where stunning
beaches and rolling vineyards sit alongside some of the country’s most
violent townships.
“Our family will be taking its first official tour of Africa, a region of
the world that over the past two decades has been a second home to me,” said
Harry on Instagram earlier this month.
“On a personal note, I can’t wait to introduce my wife and son to South
Africa!”
Harry has travelled widely across Africa and jointly founded the charity
Sentebale in 2006, to help support children affected by HIV, after spending a
gap year in Lesotho.
Another Instagram post detailing the royal visit’s itinerary shows a
picture of the smiling couple, followed by a photo of Harry’s late mother
Princess Diana meeting landmine survivors in Angola in 1997.
Diana famously walked through a cleared minefield in Huambo, clad in a
protective visor and vest to campaign for a worldwide ban on mines.
More than one million landmines were planted during Angola’s 27-year civil
war, which started immediately after independence in 1975.
Diana was killed in a car accident shortly after her trip, when Harry was
12 and his brother William — now second in line of succession to the throne
— was 15.
Harry, 35, will follow in his mother’s footsteps with a stop in Angola
next week, when he is scheduled to visit another minefield in Huambo and
remotely detonate a mine in the south of the country.
He will also travel to Botswana and Malawi to promote conservation work
and HIV prevention projects.
– Making amends –
Meanwhile, mother and baby will remain in South Africa, where the Duchess
will undertake various activities to raise awareness about women’s rights.
The couple, who had a trip to Australia, New Zealand, Tonga and Fiji last
year, have kept a low profile since the birth of their son.
After the first five months of his life were spent largely shielded from
the public eye, baby Archie will become one of the youngest royals to take
part in an official visit.
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Prince William’s son George, 6, accompanied his parents to Australia and
New Zealand when he was eight months old.
While cameras will be fixed on the royal family’s latest addition, Meghan
may feel under pressure to avoid anything judged controversial by the British
public.
Despite a fairytale wedding that conquered hearts last year, the former
American-born actress has come under fire from some newspapers for her
expensive tastes and dealings with staff.
British tabloids have lashed out at Meghan for her lavish baby shower in
New York and for guest-editing an issue of British Vogue.
The cover — featuring 15 influential actresses, models, politicians and
writers — was blasted by some for being “left-wing” and endorsing “divisive”
causes.
And last year one of her personal assistants told the press she quit after
the Duchess’ demands reduced her to tears, stoking another flurry of
criticism.
The couple has also faced criticism for using a series of private jets to
fly to France this summer, and for undertaking costly renovations on their
Windsor Estate home.
Vogue reported this week that the family would be travelling to South
Africa on a commercial flight — more in line with the Duke’s environmental
advocacy.
– ‘We camped under the stars’ –
Harry and Meghan holidayed in Botswana together in 2016, only weeks after
their first date.
The country and its national parks cemented their blossoming romance.
“I managed to persuade her to come and join me in Botswana. And we camped
out with each other under the stars,” Harry told the BBC during an interview
with the couple after their engagement.
“She came and joined me for five days out there, which was absolutely
fantastic.”
Though they have since returned to Botswana as a couple, Meghan is not
expected to accompany the Duke to Chobe National Park next week.
In South Africa, the family will meet Nobel Prize winner Desmond Tutu and
Graca Machel, widow of the country’s first black president Nelson Mandela.
Tutu and his wife have described their meeting with the Duke and Duchess
next week as a “rare privilege and honour”.
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