Prince Harry and Meghan Markle kicked off the third day of their “royal” tour Saturday morning with a visit to a drum school in Colombia amid heightened security.
The couple arrived at the event, held in a barn-like building just metres from the Caribbean Sea on the outskirts of the port city of Cartagena. Meghan wore a black dress and cream handbag, while Harry wore a blue linen shirt, sunglasses and beige chinos.
Students from the school, Escuela Taller Taller Taller Tambores de Cabildo de la Boquilla, performed for them amid heavy security that included heavily armed soldiers, police and private security in heavy suits. Vans carrying chemical, biological and nuclear response units joined the large motorcade that arrived with the couple.
The first two days of their four-day trip to South America were spent in Bogota, Colombia’s capital where the series is set. Vice President Francia Marquez invited them to her home country after watching the controversial Netflix series.
Yesterday, the couple visited a school in Bogota, speaking to schoolchildren in Spanish as they took part in an art class and planted a tree during their visit. Later, during a visit to the Centro de Rehabilitacion Inclusive, they met athletes training for the Olympics, a center founded by the Duke.
The couple were greeted by military officials before touring the center’s swimming pool, climbing wall and rehabilitation facilities, and chatting with athletes about their training programs. On the first day of their trip to Bogotá, they visited another local school, Colegio Cultura Popular, and attended a summit on building a healthier digital landscape in partnership with the Archewell Foundation.
They spoke to the children in class, discussing their favorite and least favorite aspects of social media, technology and how to handle online life. The couple will be accompanied by a full security staff during their visit, as well as Marquez, who invited the couple to Colombia on the so-called “do-it-yourself royal tour”.
Harry and Meghan’s security staff in Colombia includes police officers armed with Kevlar shields to deter potential shooters from targeting the couple. At nearly every event the couple attended, a man who is part of the local security guards has been seen jumping out of a car in front of the couple holding a folding sign.
On Friday morning, when the duke and duchess visited La Giralda school, a sign behind Harry as he planted a tree on the grounds was clearly visible in footage released by the Colombian government. Also known as a ballistic briefcase, the protective shield is also being used to protect the country’s Vice President, Francia Marquez, who is hosting the visit and has been the target of several assassination attempts.
Last year, her security team found 7 kilograms of explosives buried on the rural road leading to her home in the southwestern state of Cauca. Just two months ago, her father and 6-year-old nephew escaped unharmed after gunmen opened fire on the car they were riding in, riddled with bullets. Security websites describe the ballistic briefcase as a discreet personal protection and fast-deployment security device.
Its unintimidating appearance and ease of carrying make it ideal for executives, bodyguards and VIP bodyguards. It can be quickly deployed with one hand, providing a vital line of defense against ballistic and fragmentation threats.
An iron ring around the party will cause chaos as Colombia has a travel warning from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. The Duke has since claimed it would be “unsafe” for Meghan to return to the UK. In February, Prince Harry lost his High Court case against the Home Office over a decision to change his personal security level during his visit to the UK, but has been given leave to appeal.