Sussexes arrive in Colombia as vice-president reveals why she invited them

The Duchess of Sussex embraced Francia Marquez as she and the Duke arrived for their four-day visit

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were invited to tour Colombia after its vice-president watched their Netflix documentary and became “deeply moved” by their story, it has emerged.
Francia Marquez, the first black woman to be elected as vice-president of the South American country, said she had watched their streamed six-part documentary and thought a visit from Meghan would “strengthen so many women around the world”. 
Asked at a press conference how the invitation to Colombia had came about, she said: “How did I get to know Meghan and Harry? 
“I first encountered them through the media, and I particularly watched the Netflix series about their lives and their story, which deeply moved me. 
“It motivated me to say, ‘This is a woman who deserves to visit our country and share her story,’ and undoubtedly, her visit will strengthen so many women around the world.”
She suggested that she and the Duchess had experienced similar racist abuse during their time in public life.
Ms Marquez originally invited the Duchess to participate in events for a “Day of Afro-descendant Women” last year.
“At that time, we sent her an invitation letter, and she responded saying that she couldn’t come but was very eager to visit and get to know our country,” she said.
“Since then, we have been working for a year to make this important visit happen, and that’s how it came about.”
The Netflix show, called Harry and Meghan and aired in 2022, detailed the Sussexes’ exit from the Royal family. It included criticism of the Commonwealth, with one contributor calling it “Empire 2.0” and another saying the organisation had “not changed a thing [since colonial days], they’ve just got better PR”.
Francia Marquez is one of the world’s leading campaigners for reparations, arguing Caribbean and Latin American nations must be compensated by European countries for their colonial actions.