Meghan Markle may still be on maternity leave, but she and Prince Harry have some big plans for the rest of 2019. ITV reports that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will embark on a royal tour of Africa later this year.
The duke and duchess will travel to Angola, Malawi, and South Africa. The trip will combine Harry and Meghan's humanitarian pursuits with those of the late Princess Diana, who worked extensively throughout the continent. Baby Archie may join his parents on the trip, but nothing has been confirmed by the palace yet.
Africa is also a meaningful location in Harry and Meghan's relationship. For their first getaway together, Harry brought Meghan to Botswana, the place "where I feel more like myself than anywhere else in the world," as he told ABC News. They visited again for Meghan's birthday in 2017. When Prince Harry proposed, the center diamond in the engagement ring was sourced from Botswana.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry haven't traveled together since their visit to Morocco in February. Meghan is still on maternity leave, but the duke and duchess are reportedly planning a big trip for later this year.
According to ITV, Meghan and Harry will embark on a royal tour of Africa later this year. The tour will combine Harry and Meghan's passion for Africa with the late Princess Diana's passion for humanitarian work.
Harry and Meghan will travel to Angola, Malawi, and South Africa. They plan to carry out Princess Diana's legacy by working in a place that was meaningful to her.
While in Malawi, the couple plan to extend the reach of Harry's Sentebale charity. He cofounded the charity with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho in support of youth living with HIV/AIDS in Lesotho, Botswana, and Malawi.
Harry and Meghan will also visit Angola, where Diana visited in 1997. The Princess of Wales made headlines when she walked through an active minefield.
Harry has continued his mother's work on the cause. He will be attending the Mine Clearance, Conservation, and Economic Development in Angola event at Chatham House early next week.
Harry has seen the impact of landmines firsthand. He visited the Cuando Cubango region in southeast Angola in 2013 with the Halo Trust.
Rumors began to swirl prior to Archie's birth that Harry and Meghan were considering a move to Africa. Buckingham Palace responded to the reports by saying: "Any future plans for The Duke and Duchess are speculative at this stage. No decisions have been taken about future roles."
Contrary to early reports, the idea of the couple spending time in Africa has nothing to do with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Many people believed Meghan and Harry were being “banished” there to put more distance between them and the rest of the royal family.
Spending time in Africa is hardly a punishment for Harry and Meghan, as the couple has a rich history on the continent. Harry has loved the continent since he first visited after his mother's tragic death in 1997.
Harry and Meghan traveled to Botswana together in 2016, shortly after meeting one another. During their engagement interview with the BBC, Harry said: "I managed to persuade her to come and join me in Botswana. We camped out with each other under the stars. She came and joined me for five days out there, which was absolutely fantastic."
The couple returned to Botswana in 2017 to celebrate Meghan's birthday. Harry recently shared a photo of the work the two did with elephant conservationists while in the area.
Harry made their connection to Botswana even more meaningful when he chose a diamond from the area as the center stone of Meghan's engagement ring. The special detail was indicative of how much the country means to the couple.
There's still a lot we don't know about the upcoming tour, but sources say it will probably take place in October. Hopefully we'll get more information from the palace soon about Harry and Meghan's tour of Africa.
