Interesting , albeit scathing, review of the Colombia trip

[Camillo]

This was posted on Reddit, its in Spanish so needs to be translated, says exactly what most people have been saying of their 'tours' and this Colombia trip in particular.. This journalist nailed it.

I guess Harpers Bazaar nor People magazine will be reporting what most people REALLY thought of their trip.

https://blogs.elespectador.com/actualidad/pletora/francia-marquez-los-conoci-en-netflix/

A few notable excerpts (google translated)

During their visit, they acted as luxury tourists:

Why did Francia Márquez decide to invite the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to do "humanitarian tourism"? The answer seems unlikely, exit from Creole stand-up comedy. At a press conference, the vice president revealed her motivation: "I met Meghan and Harry through the media, but above all I watched the Netflix documentary .

Márquez, as a dazzled fan and a capricious girl, used her power as vice president to meet the media stars that moved her. It's like watching a bad gringa comedy in real life.

Harry and Meghan's visit was, in essence, a spectacle of neo-colonialism

Although the forum had quality experts and panelists, Harry and Meghan's participation contributed the same thing as their visit to the school: nothing.

the children of La Boquilla were reduced to marketing objects to enhance the public image of the dukes,

the dukes, experts in upbringing and culture, offered local parents valuable advice on how to raise their children in the midst of a reality that Harry and Meghan could hardly imagine. WTF!

The visit lasted an hour; it was a "flash", they took longer to come and go.

the dukes acted as white salvationists,

Meghan Markle attended the summit "Women of African descent and Power: Voices of Equity" in Cali, where her interventions were limited to clichés and banalities typical of a self-improvement coach.

This I found very funny...........The couple got married and as is the case in many families, Meghan disliked her husband's grandmother, her in-laws and her brother-in-law, due to her race and temperament incompatible with her brother-in-law's wife,

Without notable skills or professions, they sell their image

The reality is that the only beneficiaries were the dukes,

A very succinct review, I wonder if Harry and Meghan are listening ? Are they reading the room about how their trips are viewed ?

Was just going to post something similar.

Plus, Cartegena is a cruise port, so not exactly unknown to tourists already.

Except that they did have interactions with Colombians. There are pics of them mingling with and picking up schoolchildren. All while security guards hold Kevlar screens behind them.

Seriously, how f&cked up must their thinking be :
We are so at risk in Colombia generally that we need £1.5m spent on security.
We are so at risk at a granular levelnthat we need guards with Kevlar shields behind us in case of remore gunshot.
But we're gonna put ourselves right 8n the middle ofva bunch of schoolkids.

If they were so at risk that they needed the £1.5m worth of security, they should never have trailed that risk into a school situation - if gunshots had been fired, the security would have made protecting them the prioroty.

If they weren't at risk...
SPAG edits

Traditional white saviourism. Let's face it, she has only adopted being whatever percentage Nigerian when she benefitted.

Maybe I am cynical. I await her increasing involvement with Nigeria, and her immersion in Nigerian culture(s).

Reporting in that no-one seems to know who the "international agencies" are. I can find nothing, just other puzzled people online.

These "international agencies" are supposed to have contributed toward the costs of the holiday in Colombia of the Sussexes. It is a mystery.

I really do not understand why Columbian officials went along with the visit to the school. The optics were shocking and should have been reported far and wide. Either they weren’t really at risk and their insistence at such high level security was an attempt to make the King give them their security back (yes, I know he’s not in charge) or they really do believe they needed this level of security and are not making the connection this puts anyone in close proximity to them at even higher risk.

And what's also concerning is that this vice president who invited them actually came from a poor background, she should be sniffing out visitors who will bring more money and benefits to the country, these clowns just clamber up the bodies of willing parties who invite them, Pulling money out of their pockets on the way up them, then squashing them whilst standing on their heads waving and shouting look at me look at me ... the real RF don't behave so dreadfully

@Rhaidimiddim - the whole security thing is self serving grandiosity 'look at us we're so important we need all this security' when in actual fact they need very little security, and what security they do need is likely because of their own idiotic antics

@MummyJ12 @lemonpepperlady

That article is damning. Mark Toth and Col. Sweet can't be dismissed by the Squad as jealous MNetters envious of M's beauty (etc, etc) and indeed be perceived as having any axe to grind.

I’m sure they’ll try @Uricon2

Very like the current H-visiting-NY situation, where he is trumpeting about enhanced security fir a few private meetings.

Did I read that one of the meetings is about African Parks ??

Apparently so.
ETA posted too soon. It seems to be a routine "profile raising" (?) meeting, the Diana Awards, Travalyst and the Halo Trust also mentioned.

Sadly, it doesn't sound like something specific to address the ongoing scandal.

African Parks is listed ss one of several, yes.

Despite all these threads
Meghan and Harry are still the most popular royals .

With who?

?

Where?

Where?

Saying something that sounds like a fact doesn’t actually make it a fact or true for that matter. I’m sure with some people they will be popular. With others not so much.

Wow that article is damning.

I thought they were least popular, marginally above Andy

This was in July 2024

https://www.statista.com/statistics/863823/most-liked-members-of-the-royal-family/

Meghan is just above Andrew. Harry is above her. Boh in bottom 3.

To be honest I am surprised Harry and Meghan are not nearer the same rating as Andrew .