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Prince Harry, wife Meghan Markle and son begin Africa tour

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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, with four-month-old son, Archie are in South Africa for the start of their first official tour as a family.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, are seen during a Justice Desk initiative in Nyanga township, on the first day of their African tour in Cape Town, South Africa, September 23, 2019. REUTERS/Toby Melville

The 10-day tour will see the couple celebrate the people and culture of southern Africa.

The tour started in Cape Town with visits to girls’ empowerment projects that teach rights and self-defense. Harry danced a bit as a musical welcome greeted them in the township of Nyanga, whose location was not made public in advance because of security concerns.

The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan, speaks during a Justice Desk initiative in Nyanga township, on the first day of her African tour in Cape Town, South Africa, September 23, 2019. REUTERS/Toby Melville

Meghan is expected to speak about the rising violence against women in South Africa.

Other highlights of the tour will include a visit to another township near Johannesburg, where Prince Harry and Meghan will learn about a project tackling rising unemployment.

The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan, smiles during a Justice Desk initiative in Nyanga township, on the first day of her African tour in Cape Town, South Africa, September 23, 2019. REUTERS/Toby Melville

The royals will be in Africa until 2 October. While the Duchess and Archie are scheduled to spend the duration in South Africa, Prince Harry will also tour Angola, Malawi and Botswana before being reunited with his family in Johannesburg.

Prince Harry’s first trip to Africa came in the months after his mother’s death in 1997, when the Prince of Wales took him to the continent “to get away from it all”, he has said.

The trip marks Meghan’s first visit to South Africa.

Towards the end of the tour, the Sussexes will meet Graca Machel, the widow of South Africa’s former president Nelson Mandela. They will also have an audience with South African president Cyril Ramaphosa and his wife.

Archie has not been included in the official schedule for South Africa, but the couple have made it known that they hope to publicly introduce him to Africa at some point.

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