Duchess Meghan, Prince Harry and their son, Archie Harrison-Mountbatten Windsor, arrived in South Africa for their first royal tour as a family on Monday, September 23 — but the 4-month-old missed their first royal engagement.
While visiting the District Six Museum in Cape Town, the Duke, 34, and Duchess of Sussex, 38, were asked by a woman named Somaya Ebrahim where their baby boy was. “He’s sleeping,” the former military pilot told the 81-year-old, adding that the long flight had made Archie “not grouchy, just exhausted.”
Earlier this month, Kensington Palace detailed the royal family’s trip in a statement, reading, “Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will undertake an official visit to Southern Africa between Monday 23rd September and Wednesday 2nd October. At the request of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Their Royal Highnesses will together visit South Africa. The Duke of Sussex will also visit Angola and Malawi … and will undertake a short working visit to Botswana. This will be Their Royal Highness’ first official tour as a family.”
The 4-month-old will stay with the former actress in Cape Town while his dad travels throughout South Africa without them. In addition to the District Six Museum tour, the official visit will include tree-planting at Chobe Forest Tree Reserve and a trip to Monwabisi Beach, among other things.
Us Weekly confirmed the family’s trip in June. A source explained at the time: “Africa is an extremely important continent for Harry and Meghan. It’s not only where Harry was able to spend time away from the public eye growing up — and where [Princess] Diana made a difference — but it’s also where their love grew. Going back there will be so special for them now that they’re a family.”
The insider went on to say that the couple are taking the visit “very seriously … to make sure that Archie remains safe and happy throughout. It’s likely that Archie will only be present on certain safer parts of the trip.”
Harry and the Suits alum welcomed their son on May 6.
