H & M announce a visit to Colombia

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announce they will visit Colombia

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Another country on the "Don't travel" list.

"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.'"

Perhaps he thinks this is the way to get his security reconsidered? Personally I'd say the opposite.
If he still had UK security I'd expect them to do a risk assessment and say "NO".
Why should security personnel be put at risk by being required to travel to these dangerous destinations.

Well what are they worried about then?

It is so strange how their trips are announced like this when they are private citizens with no diplomatic or political clout. They are not even A list in Hollywood, or representing a body like the UN. I'm trying to think of an equivalent person who is famous but not particularly popular and with little influence. Maybe it would be a bit like Sarah Ferguson or Gareth Southgate or Tess Daly and Vernon Kay or Richard Branson announcing their travel plans.

We got back from a holiday in Colombia about 2 weeks ago.

We had no issues with safety. We taxied everywhere and only went out at night in safe areas. It is a beautiful country with so much to see.

Bogotá, Salt Cathedral, rural villages, Monserrat.

Then we went to the Amazon (with very short trips across the border to Brazil and Peru). We saw amazing wildlife and incredible beauty.

Then to Medellin which is a gorgeous city, then to the Caribbean coast for swimming and sunshine.

I just don't want to hear this country being written off as awful or dangerous. There are places to avoid and places that are very dangerous.

We saw some poverty, some obvious prostitution and were careful but I would recommend it to anyone.

It helps to have a Spanish speaker with you.

H&M will probably do none of the things we did. But the holiday was amazing.

Of course M is worried about being publicly booed on camera. That's the reason she won't visit the UK.

They do have plenty of security when they are in the UK as is assessed necessary in every individual visit by the UK government. They also have their own private security.

H is not sufficiently bothered about security to stay in a royal palace when visiting here, he regards a normal hotel as sufficiently secure. M winds down the window in her bullet proof car in the UK so people can photograph her more easily.

People who say that Nigeria and Colombia are safer countries than the UK are plainly being ridiculous. M&H choose to live in a country where there are more guns in personal possession of citizens than there are citizens. 433 million guns belonging to private citizens.

The UK is not unsafe for M&H. Indeed H visits whenever he wants to.

I just don't want to hear this country being written off as awful or dangerous. There are places to avoid and places that are very dangerous.

I don't think people are writing off Colombia or its people, or saying that it's awful. They are saying it's odd that a man who thinks the UK is too dangerous for his wife to visit would travel with her to a country where the FO says terrorist attacks are "very likely" and kidnapping rates "remain high". You can't expect people not to notice that Harry seems to think Colombia is less risky than St James's Palace.

Then again, he thinks USA, where 20k people are shot each year (compared to 26 here) and where he experienced a near catastrophic car chase is also safer than the UK.

Also - if you really wanted to visit a country where according to the experts there is some risk attached, and you were very concerned about your security and felt unsafe even in the UK, why would you announce it in advance?

Anybody can 'make a threat online'. It's up to the experts to deem how plausible this 'threat' is.

Harry and Meghan are extremely fortunate in having the highly regarded experts of RAVEC continually monitoring their situation, and offering to provide full protection if deemed necessary.

Nobody has ever been able to tell me what is unreasonable about this arrangement. And it's not for the want of asking.

Well the VP who invited them must see some value, even though it's not yet clear what that might be.

I did read somewhere that VAWG was to be a theme.

If only the Duchess of Edinburgh's solid work in this area over a couple of decades got as many column inches

I saw VAWG mentioned, along with online safety and cyber bullying as I said previously. Unfortunately, I don’t think any of these good causes will get the attention they deserve because it will inevitably be just an excuse to shoehorn the Sussexes inflated sense of self importance in to proceedings. Besides which, I have no idea with what authority they would speak about these areas as I do not believe they have any depth of knowledge or expertise, unlike Sophie or the Queen with regard to VAWG who both have invested time and effort in to gaining understanding of the issues

What did they do to deserve that treat? Columbia I mean

It's not unreasonable I certainly wouldn't drop in on my relatives in another country without giving them notice I'm baffled by those who feel that it's appropriate?

I was scoffed at on another platform when they first claimed you cannot make such plans in advance if you have children? then they said but what happens if the children are ill and you can't attend! (You cancel?) But then you have to give another month's notice!!!!! They have blocked me now I've pointed out you don't because ravec have already done the work they will just continue it under those circumstances...I mean it's not rocket science

I could be wrong, but you're not demanding limitless tax funder paid high level security for the duration of any visit, with any purpose, to the UK?

@OlympicWomen Absolutely not. I am simply trying to correct the misconception that Colombia, a country I love, is lawless and awful.

I do NOT have any time for H&M and think that they, like all other ordinary people, should pay for their own travel and security.

I am not sure what footage of them in SUVs with outriders will do to correct the dated image of Colombia as a place of danger.

Also, presumably, they would be coming to the UK specifically to visit relatives. Not to be “on tour”. So why would they not be safe?

I see. I take your point.
It's just the juxtaposition of these quasi royal tours to certain countries when Harry is questioning how safe he is in the UK in a Bentley and Westminster Abbey.
Good points about the outriders etc.

Their inflated sense of self is really quite astonishing and at times laughable. I think all these announcements are an attempt to try and make people believe they are important, when they are no more important than any mid soap star or the like.

I'm wondering if it's for possible merchandising opportunities - making sure it's top level security for that, too? I could be wrong.

They are following up the announcement, and preceding the trip, with that CBS interview on cyberbullying and protecting children from online hate.

So, they are donning their experts-in-the-field-of hats and toddling off to Columbia to educate the people there ahead of the First Global Ministerial Conference on ending violence against children.

While using the situation to preach the Aspen gospel of censorship.

There will be no mention of African Parks, and plenty of opportunity to play victim/good parents.

@Rhaidimiddim in a way, I admire their chutzpah! Not qualified in the least, not experienced, not trained, not successful on a personal level, but yet some sort of experts owing to royal status! It's very strange.

Such an ignorant thing to say. You think you're funny but the drug trade has killed millions of Colombians over generations all so brits and Americans can shove it up their noses.You won't find many Colombians stupid enough to consume it.

Maybe you should be starting with self-admitted coke snorter Harold...

Worth noting too that Colombia has an issue around the use of ayahuasca, so given Harry's told us this is one of his drugs of choice perhaps it's another attraction to him?

www.theguardian.com/world/2018/aug/31/colombia-ayahuasca-drug-trade-spotlight-after-britons-death

I can't bring myself to admire anything about them. I just hope that there aren't people out there who are taking their advice or believing that they know what they're talking about. On health issues, it would be a kind of Darwin test.

BTW - William was a first responder. I wonder if that was yet another dig.

The Columbians are calling it a visit, I'm pretty sure it's only the press who are using the word 'tour' in their never ending quest for money and click bait.

I would be interested to know if visits of people like Angelina Jolie are announced, I suspect they are but receive very little to no press attention internationally.

If Harry and Meghan keep going with the campaign against online bullying, at some point they are going to have to address the toxicity of the Sussex Squad because of the increasing profile that group has in the public arena, beginning when Catherine was sick. I suspect they are worried about a backlash from the squad but confronting them is the only ethical way forward.

I agree though that it is a pity that the Duchess of Edinburgh is not getting the recognition she deserves with her decades of work in the area of VAWG. Maybe though this conference is too low profile?

Sophie's work with VAWG is excellent, and it's a shame it doesn't get more publicity, but I suppose she's not really click bait or controversial, which always helps!
You're right, @MrsLeonFarrell and I do wish that H&M would address the online attacks of W, but especially Kate in the last 8 months or so. It really has been vile.

I plead guilty to being interested enough to have opened this.