In newly released, unseen footage, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are seen having a happy, private moment with five-month-old Archie ahead of his big debut in South Africa, with Harry cradling Archie and Meghan stroking and planting kisses on his head.
The sweet footage, which was taken just moments before the family-of-three met with Archbishop Desmond Tutu, comes courtesy of a new trailer for an upcoming ITV documentary Harry and Meghan: An African Journey, which is set to air this weekend in the UK.
Watch the adorable video and trailer above.
Archie’s appearance in South Africa marked the first time the public has officially had a good look at Archie since his christening in July. (Image: Getty)
Presented by ITV News presenter Tom Bradby, he says the documentary will document what went on behind-the-scenes of the couple’s 10-day tour of South Africa, Botswana, Angola and Malawi which wrapped up at the beginning of this month, which he says was full of both passion, but also pain.
“The story of their time in Africa was of passion for their work, private happiness, but also a world of pressure and pain behind the brave faces,” Tom says.
WATCH: Adorable Archie makes his first appearance on a royal tour. Story continues below…
While Tom is not specific about what the pressure and pain might be, the day Harry, Meghan and Archie flew out of Johannesburg earlier this month, Tom teased the upcoming documentary on Twitter, tweeting: “Just finished filming a documentary on Harry and Meghan in Africa.
“I think it will explain a lot when it airs.”
It’s highly likely that Tom is referring to the unprecedented, emotionally-charged statement Harry released just days before the official tour ended, calling out the British tabloid press for their “ruthless” and “relentless” treatment of his wife Meghan.
In the statement, which was posted to the couple’s official website, Harry also disclosed that the couple had filed a lawsuit against the Mail On Sunday for their “unlawful” and “intrusive” publication of a letter Meghan wrote to her father, Thomas Markle.
“I have been a silent witness to [Meghan’s] suffering for too long,” Harry wrote.
“To stand back and do nothing would be contrary to everything we believe in.
“There comes a point when the only thing to do is to stand up to this behaviour, because it destroys people and destroys lives.
“Put simply, it is bullying, which scares and silences people. We all know this isn’t acceptable, at any level. We won’t and can’t believe in a world where there is no accountability for this.”
Tom Bradby says the couple’s tour of Africa was both full of passion and private happiness, but also pressure and pain which they hid behind brave faces. (Image: Getty)
Following its release, The Times reported the statement had been composed entirely by Harry without the help of his team and was released against the advice of senior Palace advisors.
Press who were on the ground in South Africa told news.com.au, that the communications team were “visibly embarrassed” by the statement with ITV‘s royal editor Chris Ship questioning the timing of the letter’s release, saying after pulling off an extremely successful tour, it ended on “a rather sour note for both his team and the large numbers of press.”
While many questions still surround the extraordinary statement –it’s content, it’s timing – it seems Harry and Meghan: An African Adventure may shed a little more light.
