Meghan, Duchess of Sussex makes a speech as she visits a Justice Desk initiative in Nyanga township, with Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, during their royal tour of South Africa on September 23, 2019 in Cape Town, South Africa. The Justice Desk initiative teaches children about their rights and provides self-defence classes and female empowerment training to young girls in the community. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
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Meghan Markle was in South Africa Monday (September 23, 2019) for her first visit to the country, and while the Duchess of Sussex might officially be there on royal business, she told the cheering crowd, “I want you to know that for me, I am here as a mother, as a wife, as a woman, as a woman of color, and as your sister. I am here with you, and I am here for you.”
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex smile as they visit a Justice Desk initiative in Nyanga township, during their royal tour of South Africa on September 23, 2019 in Cape Town, South Africa. The Justice Desk initiative teaches children about their rights and provides self-defence classes and female empowerment training to young girls in the community. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
Prince Harry also gave a speech on the first stop of the tour, at Cape Town’s Nyanga township.
Markle, 38, after watching a self-defense class for girls, urged women to fight for “respect, dignity and equality,” and her husband, 34, spoke out against violence toward women.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex arrive for a visit to the “Justice desk”, an NGO in the township of Nyanga in Cape Town, as they begin their tour of the region on September 23, 2019. – Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan arrived in South Africa on September 23, launching their first official family visit in the coastal city of Cape Town. The 10-day trip began with an education workshop in Nyanga, a township crippled by gang violence and crime that sits on the outskirts of the city. (Photo by Betram MALGAS / POOL / AFP/Getty Images)
“No man is born to cause harm to women. This is learned behavior and a cycle that needs to be broken,” he said. “It's about redefining masculinity, it’s about creating your own footprints for your children to follow in, so that you can make a positive change for the future.”
The 10-day tour will also include stops in Malawi, Angola, and Botswana. Vanity Fair notes the royal couple did away with some of the traditional protocol for the trip—no red carpet was rolled out upon their arrival, and there will be “minimal fuss [and] formality,” the magazine says.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex dances during a visit to the “Justice desk”, an NGO in the township of Nyanga in Cape Town, as she begins with her husband a tour of the region on September 23, 2019. – Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan arrived in South Africa on September 23, launching their first official family visit in the coastal city of Cape Town. The 10-day trip began with an education workshop in Nyanga, a township crippled by gang violence and crime that sits on the outskirts of the city. (Photo by Betram MALGAS / POOL / AFP/Getty Images)
“I have no idea how to speak to them,” one official reportedly told a local outlet. “We haven’t received any official brief on etiquette. I think that’s because the Sussexes want to keep it informal. I don’t even know how to greet them.”
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex arrives to visit the “Justice desk”, an NGO in the township of Nyanga in Cape Town, as she begins with Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex a tour of the region on September 23, 2019. – Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan arrived in South Africa on September 23, launching their first official family visit in the coastal city of Cape Town. The 10-day trip began with an education workshop in Nyanga, a township crippled by gang violence and crime that sits on the outskirts of the city. (Photo by Courtney AFRICA / POOL / AFP/Getty Images)Meghan, Duchess of Sussex hugs a boy as she arrives to visit the “Justice desk”, an NGO in the township of Nyanga in Cape Town, as they begin their tour of the region on September 23, 2019. – Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan arrived in South Africa on September 23, launching their first official family visit in the coastal city of Cape Town. The 10-day trip began with an education workshop in Nyanga, a township crippled by gang violence and crime that sits on the outskirts of the city. (Photo by Courtney AFRICA / POOL / AFP/Getty Images)Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex speak with children as they arrive to visit the “Justice desk”, an NGO in the township of Nyanga in Cape Town, as they begin their tour of the region on September 23, 2019. – Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan arrived in South Africa on September 23, launching their first official family visit in the coastal city of Cape Town. The 10-day trip began with an education workshop in Nyanga, a township crippled by gang violence and crime that sits on the outskirts of the city. (Photo by Courtney AFRICA / POOL / AFP/Getty Images)
