What was supposed to be a triumphant showcase of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s global influence during their four-day tour of Colombia has instead descended into an awkward spectacle of empty venues and dwindling interest. The visit, which began with high expectations, quickly unraveled into a series of missteps and low turnouts, leaving even the most skeptical onlookers surprised.
The tour kicked off with Meghan Markle delivering a speech on online safety at the Responsible Digital Future Summit, an event organized by the Archewell Foundation in collaboration with Colombia’s Vice President’s Office and Illuminat. The stage was set for a grand affair, but there was one glaring problem: the audience. Despite the noble intentions behind Meghan’s message urging online trolls to reflect on the values taught by their parents or grandparents, the sparse crowd in attendance left her words echoing in a nearly empty room.
Meghan’s struggle to connect with the few attendees present was further compounded by her limited grasp of Spanish—a crucial skill when addressing a Spanish-speaking audience. The resulting awkwardness left many wondering why they had even bothered to attend, as the sea of empty chairs around them spoke volumes.
Hopes for a better turnout in the subsequent events quickly faded as well. The venues seemed deliberately scaled down to accommodate what was expected to be a small audience, but even these modest spaces couldn’t be filled. Rumors swirled that the Sussexes might have resorted to hiring a crowd, as they were alleged to have done during their Nigeria tour. However, in Colombia, even the supposed crowd rental option seemed unavailable, leaving the Duke and Duchess to face sparsely populated venues.
The tour’s troubles didn’t end with poor attendance. Personal embarrassments added to the list of setbacks. Meghan was photographed with sweat stains—an otherwise trivial detail that the media was quick to seize upon. Meanwhile, Harry’s increasingly noticeable thinning hair only served to underscore the couple’s waning public appeal. The contrast between their current reality and their former glamorous lifestyle has never been more apparent.
Amid all this, the most perplexing aspect of the tour was the excessive security detail that accompanied the couple. Reports suggest that over 3,000 security personnel, including military forces, were deployed to protect the Duke and Duchess—despite the conspicuous absence of any real crowds. The sight of heavily armed guards standing vigil over empty venues served as a stark and almost poetic metaphor for the futility of the entire tour.
In the end, Harry and Meghan’s Colombia tour has done little more than highlight their fading relevance. What was meant to be a return to the global stage has instead solidified their status as figures struggling to maintain the spotlight they once effortlessly commanded. If nothing else, this tour has made it painfully clear that the days of the Sussexes as captivating public figures are well behind them.
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Source: The Wall Street Journal
