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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are heading to South Africa as part of a wider tour of Africa it was confirmed on Wednesday.
The country’s British High Commissioner Nigel Casey confirmed the news, saying the royal couple would be “coming back to visit South Africa this autumn,” – this South African (and New Zealand) spring – with the trip only planned to be a short number of days.
The High Commissioner told the press he thought the royal visit was “great news” and joked that visit could spark and “hat and frock buying frenzy” which could boost the country’s economy.
Referring to the ‘Meghan Effect’, the High Commissioner was referring to Meghan’s ability to make anything she wears, sell out, with royal fans eager to emulate her impeccable style.
And, with her preference of wearing clothes created by designers from whichever country she visits, it undoubtedly does wonders for the economy of that country’s fashion industry.
Royal fans are always eager to emulate the impeccably stylish Duchess. (Image: Getty)
These new updates of the impending tour have plenty of people wondering whether they’ll also be bringing along their new bundle of joy, Archie.
While there’s no confirmation of whether he’ll tag along or not, according to The Sun, they’re not expected to bring him along as he’ll still be incredibly young – less than six months old.
If he were to however, he’d become the youngest royal to head on an international royal tour.
Back in 1983 Prince Charles and Princess Diana took nine-month-old Prince William on a six-week tour of Australia and New Zealand, and 31 years later William took his own son, Prince George, back to the same destinations in 2014 at just eight-months-old.
No word yet if baby Archie will be heading along on the tour too. (Image: Getty)
Reports that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would be undertaking a royal tour of Africa circulated earlier this year, following previous reports they were planning to move to one of the Commonwealth countries on the continent.
Along with Wednesday’s news that the royal couple will be heading to South Africa, other African countries said to be on the itinerary, according to royal sources who spoke to The Mirror, include Angola and Malawi.
Malawi has close ties to Prince Harry’s own charity Sentebale, which he co-founded with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho. The charity works to support mental health and wellbeing of children affected by HIV and AIDS in Lesotho, Botswana and Malawi.
Meanwhile, Angola has close ties to the work championed by his late mother Princess Diana, of the clearing of landmines in the country.
Just last week the Prince spoke the UK thinktank Chatham House calling for the removal of landmines around the world and praising Angola’s progress.
“As long as landmines are in the ground Angola, we aren’t really giving them a chance,” Harry said.
“There is an end in sight, which has already been discussed, and that isn’t always the case. So let’s make the most of this opportunity.”
Earlier this week it was reported that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are embarking on a royal tour of their own later this year, with the Daily Mail claiming the parents-of-three are likely to visit Commonwealth countries across Asia including Bangladesh, India, Malaysia and Singapore.
According to sources there’s also a high chance the couple will visit Sri Lanka, following the horrific terror attack which occurred on Easter Sunday, killing more than 258 people – Prince William also visited New Zealand in April this year following the Christchurch terror attacks on March 15th.
