The royal tour is off to a great start! That was evident when Meghan Markle, 38, and Prince Harry, 35, arrived in the Nyanga township at their first stop — Cape Town, South Africa — holding hands, all smiles, on Sept. 23. The royal couple even complemented one another in their outfits! Meghan looked lovely in a black and white patterned wrap dress from Myamiko, a fair trade brand from Malawi (a future stop on the royal tour) with ribbon-tie wedges to match. Meanwhile, Harry coordinated in a white dress shirt from Club Monaco and black slacks.
Meghan and Harry’s united front was greeted by drums, dancing and an enthusiastic crowd from The Justice Desk! The Justice Desk is a human rights organization that trains and educates youths, vulnerable locals and governments to defend their human rights in South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The Justice Desk initiative also teaches Nyanga’s young girls self-defense and female empowerment training classes, and the NGO is supported by the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust (Harry is the president of the Commonwealth, while Meghan serves as vice-president). Meghan greeted many of the children from The Justice Desk, who later listened to the Duchess of Sussex deliver an empowering speech about her mixed heritage.
“And just on one personal note, may I just say that while I am here with my husband as a member of the royal family, I want you to know that for me I am here with you as a mother, as a wife, as a woman, as a woman of color and as your sister,” Meghan told the crowd, eliciting cheers. Her husband also took the mic, who spoke on the violence women have been facing in South Africa — South Africa’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, declared the country is facing a national crisis over the gender-based violence while addressing the nation on Sept. 5.
Meghan and Harry’s four-month-old son, Archie, has also tagged along for the cross-country journey. This is the family’s first royal tour together! Although Archie didn’t join his parents for Monday’s engagement, he was seen in Meghan’s arms as they touched down in Cape Town earlier that day. The tour includes 10 total stops, including visits to South African towns, Angola, Malawi and Botswana until Oct. 2.