How Harry and Meghan’s Netflix show opened the door to the royal tour

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s bombshell Netflix docuseries inspired Colombia’s vice president to invite them for an official visit to the country, it has been revealed.

Vice President Francia Marquez officially welcomed the couple on their four-day visit to the South American country on Thursday, and will accompany them as they attend a series of cultural and philanthropic events in the cities of Bogotá, Cali and Cartagena.

Harry and Meghan’s decision to accept Marquez’s invitation has raised eyebrows in Britain as it takes the form of a quasi-royal tour, although the couple no longer act in any official capacity on behalf of the British monarchy or government since stepping down in 2020 and moving to the US

Although the couple have no personal ties to the country, Marquez revealed why she was motivated to bring Harry and Meghan to Colombia in a press briefing on Thursday. In it, she revealed that the couple’s record-breaking six-part Netflix series from 2022, which sparked controversy, played a key role.

“How did I come to meet Meghan and Harry?” she said Daily Telegraph.

“I first met them through the media and especially watched the Netflix series about their lives and story, which moved me deeply.

“It motivated me to say, ‘This is a woman who deserves to visit our country and share her story,’ and no doubt her visit will strengthen so many women around the world.”

While Marquez’s focus appears to have been on Meghan rather than Harry, the prince will be heavily involved in planned engagements, at least one of which will focus on his work with the Invictus Games veterans event.

Colombia is so far the only South American nation to send a regular delegation to the Games, the next of which will be held in Canada in 2025.

Harry and Meghan have taken time to find their feet in the United States since their split from the monarchy, and their private media projects and interviews have not always provided a boost to their popularity.

The self-titled Netflix show Harry and Meghancharted the course of the couple’s relationship and their dramatic break with the monarchy. On the show, the couple discussed the racist media coverage and social media abuse Meghan has faced since her induction into the royal family, as well as the monarchy’s colonial history, as well as the couple’s issues with members of the royal family and household.

The series gained worldwide coverage and broke Netflix streaming records for a docuseries debut, but it also brought with it a wave of criticism that worsened when Harry released his memoirs in January 2023, delving more controversial issues.

In January 2023, the couple’s popularity declined in both the UK and America, with them slowly regaining ground in the months since.

At the time of the release of his memoirs, Harry said he and Meghan would now focus on the future, and have since launched a number of grassroots philanthropic projects, the most recent being the Archewell Foundation’s Parenting Network.

This project focuses on child safety in the digital age, working with parents who have lost their children to online harm.

Meghan and Harry have made social media awareness and safety a key focus of this project, with Meghan reflecting on her own social media harassment in a recent interview with CBS Sunday Morning host Jane Pauley.

In Colombia on Thursday, Harry and Meghan attended a summit on a responsible digital future with the Vice President of EAN University in Bogotá. Discussing the work of the Parents Network and the dangers of the online space, Meghan emphasized the community aspect of supporting society’s most vulnerable people.

“We should model how we want our children to be raised and for the world we are raising them in,” she said.

“It doesn’t matter where you live. It doesn’t matter who you are. Either you personally or someone you know is a victim of what’s happening online. And that’s something we can actively work every day to fix.”

James Crawford-Smith is Newsweekhis royal correspondent based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories further NewsweekThe Royals Facebook page.

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