African Amends - Harry & Meghan's Message Of Hope

How their rule-breaking tour is delighting royal fans

- Vivienne Archer

It’s hard to think of what would make Prince Harry happier than having his adored wife and son finally with him in his beloved Africa.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s royal tour of South Africa, Angola, Botswana and Malawai is significant for so many reasons. As well as their first official overseas trip with baby Archie, it’s a chance for the gaffe-prone duo to make amends for a summer filled with PR blunders and ill-judged choices. As one media outlet put it, it’s make or break time.

As the couple landed in sunny Cape Town, South Africa, for the first day of their visit, it was immediately clear to onlookers and experts alike that Harry and Meghan mean business.

Forgoing any pomp and ceremony by skipping the customary airport welcome – although we were treated to a brief glimpse of five-month-old Archie in Meghan’s arms as she strode across the tarmac – the duke and duchess instead made their way straight to the township of Nyanga where they met, chatted with and hugged excited locals.

They delighted onlookers by joining in a traditional dance outside a church – Meghan perhaps displaying a little more rhythm than Harry, who looked on with pride as his wife got into the spirit of the performance – before both speaking to the crowds.

“I wanted to ensure that our first visit as a family, with my wife by my side, focused on the significant challenges facing millions of South Africans, while acknowledging the hope we feel so strongly,” Harry (35) said, while Meghan (38) publicly spoke of her own biracial identity as a royal for the first time.

“While I am here with my husband as a member of the royal family, I am here with you as a woman, as a wife, as a woman of colour and as your sister,” she declared.