Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s four-day tour of Colombia has been slammed as “wasteful spending” as the true cost to the country has been disclosed.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were invited to the South American nation by Colombia’s Vice President Francia Marquez.
However, Maria Fernanda Cabal, a right-wing senator and political opponent of Marquez requested a breakdown of the costs across the Sussexes’ trip.
Cabal’s office said: “Did you know that the visit of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex cost Colombians a total of $244,245,305 (£44,419.26)?”
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s four-day tour of Colombia has been slammed as “wasteful spending” as the true cost to the country has been disclosed.
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The cost which was described as “wasteful spending” by Cabal’s office, included internal transport throughout the visit and security.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex paid for their flights, accommodation in Bogota and general expenses, according to the Marquez’s office.
It comes as Meghan Markle recently admitted to using the global spotlight she attracts to help market her friends’ products.
The Duchess of Sussex opened up on what inspires her fashion choices in an interview following the tour.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were invited to the South American nation by Colombia’s Vice President Francia Marquez.
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Meghan told the New York Times that she chooses to support designers with whom she has strong ties as well as smaller upcoming brands.
The duchess said: “Times where I know there is a global spotlight, and attention will be given to each detail of what I may or may not be wearing, then I support designers that I have really great friendships with, and smaller, up-and-coming brands that haven’t gotten the attention that they should be getting.
“That’s one of the most powerful things that I’m able to do, and that’s simply wearing, like, an earring.”
Meghan added: “I spend a lot of time just Googling, looking for brands
The spotlight the Sussexes bring with them during their engagements was hailed by the Mayor of Cali in August.
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“When people are online looking for things or reading things, I’m trying to find great new designers, especially in different territories.”
The spotlight the Sussexes bring with them during their engagements was hailed by the Mayor of Cali in August.
Cali’s mayor, Alejandro Eder said prior to the couple’s arrival that he hoped their trip would boost Cali’s reputation globally.
He told The Times: “This is really important for Cali. We want to recuperate the prestige of Cali and part of that is showing the world what is our city, and what is our culture… we want to put Cali on the world map.”
