On August 1, Colombia’s Vice President Francia Márquez announced that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had accepted her invitation to visit/tour the South American country. They will travel to Bogata, Cartagena and Cali. VP Marquez said that she was “pleased” that the tour could be arranged, and she’s clearly planning to use Harry and Meghan to highlight the positive stories within Colombia and bring international attention to the country. That’s exactly what Nigeria did too – the Nigerian tour was coordinated through the government and military, with a focus on Invictus, veterans, education, women’s rights and a celebration of Nigerian culture.
Well, much like the Nigerian tour, the British media is currently melting down because “why would Harry go to such a dangerous country and he won’t come to the UK??” The sad British people get twisted up in their own (racist) arguments so easily too – Harry and Meghan only travel to countries where they’re treated as high-value VIPs and given government security at that level. Nigeria’s cost-benefit analysis was pretty easy: a huge amount of positive domestic and international media attention came with the Sussexes’ visit, and the government got to highlight their own (amazing) veterans programs as well. Thus, it was “worth” it to ensure the Sussexes’ safety and give them the kind of security Nigeria would have given a visiting dignitary or VIP. I assume it will be exactly the same in Colombia.
Meanwhile, the UK seems to believe that the Sussexes should not receive any security… unless authorized by Charles and Camilla, and even then, there’s a good chance that “the palace” will leak the Sussexes’ whereabouts and go out of their way to put them in danger. Here’s the hissy fit from the Mail:
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will visit Colombia for a tour later this year despite both the UK and US governments issuing travel alerts for the crime-ridden country. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will head to South America on an undisclosed date after accepting an invitation from the country’s vice president Francia Márquez.
But the UK and US governments have both issued security alerts over travelling to Colombia amid fears over crime, terrorism, civil unrest and kidnapping – and Harry’s decision to visit comes amid his ongoing battle for his security when in Britain.
The UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office ‘advises against all but essential travel to parts of Colombia’. And the US Department of State issued a travel advisory for Colombia stating: ‘Reconsider travel due to crime and terrorism. Exercise increased caution due to civil unrest and kidnapping. Some areas have increased risk.’
One British former royal protection officer, who served Harry’s family for several years, told MailOnline: ‘They have chosen to visit one, if not the most, dangerous countries in the world. But nothing amazes me [with Harry and Meghan] these days. It’s just him digging his heels in with the UK authorities. But it does add weight to why he’s not getting protection – he keeps going to dangerous places’.
These people are so stupid, it’s a wonder they can function in society without constantly falling into sewers. “But it does add weight to why he’s not getting protection – he keeps going to dangerous places.” You mean the British protection unit would deny someone security because… they traveled to Colombia before traveling to England?? And the “crime-ridden country” reference, they did that a lot with the Nigerian tour, they made it sound like Nigeria was a den of thieves and murderers. If anything, the Sussexes’ Nigeria trip probably boosted tourism to the country, because Nigeria seemed amazing and welcoming. Anyway, these meltdown – and there are many more – all boil down to “how dare other countries not take our word for it when we say that Harry doesn’t deserve protection!” It also boils down to: “If Harry needs such high-level security, why are other countries giving him that security when the British government isn’t???” They’re almost there. GB News even confirmed that the Sussexes “will be given a full security detail for the entirety of their visit alongside Colombia’s Vice President Márquez.” Could that be the reason why the Sussexes are not visiting the UK perchance?
Photos courtesy of Save the Children Nigeria and Getty.