Prince Harry and Meghan Markle tour a ‘burden’ on Colombia security says ex-royal butler

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will be on high-security detail for their three-day tour of Colombia – but the country has a ‘limited amount of methods of keeping them safe’

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are “putting a burden” on Colombia, which may struggle with “limited amount of methods of keeping them safe”, a former Palace insider has claimed.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who have just seen their chief of staff step down, touched down in South America, Thursday, to kick off a four-day tour on the invitation of Vice President Francia Marquez.

Despite some crowing about the visit, many of the school children and activists showed “pure joy and positive vibes” at the visit from the world-famous royals.

The Sussexes reportedly have private security for their visits to Bogota, Cartagena, and Cali. But with Colombia sitting under a ‘Level 3’ US travel advisory, urging travellers to ‘reconsider travel’ due to crime, terrorism, and kidnapping risks, it’s anticipated that the Colombian government will foot the bill for security during high-profile engagements.

Former royal butler Anthony Cawdron, who worked at Blenheim Palace, told Express US: “I think each of these trips that they take seems to have the effect that people question them more.

READ MORE: Prince Harry lets true feelings slip in ‘flash moment’ on Colombia tour – expert

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex spoke at a university forum on online hate, discrimination, and cyberbullying, at the end of their first day in Colombia
“They are putting a burden on a country that may have a limited amount of methods of keeping them safe. I think it’s a distraction that King Charles doesn’t necessarily need, and we just had a successful Olympics and everyone is saluting Team GB, and everyone is happy about that.”

But for socially conscious students in Colombia, the value of their visit was clear. After a full itinerary of meeting, greeting, and consuming some indigenous culture, Prince Harry and Meghan took part in a Responsible Digital Future forum at a Bogota university.

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (L) was welcomed to Colombia by Vice President Francia Marquez

There they spoke about living in a digital world and engaged in an open discussion with students, the country’s vice president, and Nobel Price winner Maria Ressa. One of the students lucky enough to meet the Duke and Duchess shared her joy on social media.

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She said: “It was an honour to participate in the Foro Futuro Digital Responsable in Bogota alongside Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, the Vice President of Colombia, and Maria Ressa!

“As we discussed, with youth voices leading the way, we can build a better internet.”