What will Prince Harry, Duchess Meghan and baby Archie get up to on first royal family outing to South Africa?

Sep 24 , 2019

Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex and his wife Meghan, visited the township of Nyanga on the first day of their Africa trip. Photo: PA Wire/DPA

Harry will honour mother Princess Diana with visit to minefield in Angola, while Meghan Markle stays in Cape Town with son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, on the five-month-old’s first official overseas outing

The youngest member of the UK royal family has embarked on his first overseas outing – with five-month-old Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor arriving in Africa after enduring what was likely his first long-haul flight.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, along with baby Archie, touched down in Cape Town, South Africa, on Monday (September 23) for the start of a 10-day tour of southern Africa, their first official foreign trip as a family.

The trio got off a commercial jet but skipped the usual airport arrival ceremony and went straight to their residence, which has not been disclosed for security reasons.

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex arrive to visit Cape Town’s District Six museum on the first afternoon of their tour of the region. Photo: AFP

Pictures on social media and in the UK tabloids showed the baby in Meghan’s arms, a knit cap with a pom-pom at the top on his head. They were accompanied by a nanny and other palace aides and assistants.

There may be few times to get an officially sanctioned glimpse of Archie during the trip; Buckingham Palace has not said whether he will make a formal royal debut at some point over the next 10 days.

Smiling broadly, Meghan appeared to be wearing a white blouse and jeans with a sand-coloured knit coat and sand-coloured flats. Her hair was pulled up and back in a tight chignon. Besides his white knit cap, Archie appeared to be wearing a navy blue knit baby onesie.

Unlike their trip to Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga in 2018 – which was a huge success Down Under and at home – this trip is taking place against a backdrop of criticism and mockery in the British tabloids. The Sussexes are said to be too obsessed with privacy, too heedless of royal protocol, too extravagant in their spending, and hypocritical for taking private jets while warning against climate change.

The Africa trip could be an opportunity to rack up some feel-good images and return to the favourable graces of the public and the media, all while representing queen and country.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, were spotted at the wedding of fashion designer Misha Nonoo, which took place at Villa Aurelia in Rome, Italy, September 20, 2019. Photo: Reuters

On Friday (September 20), the couple went to Rome for the wedding of Meghan’s close friend designer Misha Nonoo to an American oil tycoon Michael Hess. The palace as a rule does not confirm the couple’s “private” travels, but photographs of the duo have circulated, including Meghan in an embellished black tulle gown by Valentino.