Security for Harry and Meghan’s faux-royal tour cost poverty-stricken Colombia £1.5m, local reports claim
Security for Harry and Meghan‘s four day quasi royal tour of Colombia cost an eye watering eight billion pesos (£1.5 million) local media have claimed.
The £375,000 a day cost involved 3,000 police and soldiers, plus helicopters, sniffer dogs, bomb disposal units and an ever-present guard armed with a ballistic briefcase or bullet proof shield just in case of a sniper attack.
They were invited to the south American country – which is a no-go zone in parts according to the Foreign Commonweath and Development Office – by left wing vice president Francia Marquez – who has survived at least two attempts on her life.
Security for Harry and Meghan’s four day quasi royal tour of Colombia cost an eye watering eight billion pesos (£1.5 million) local media have claimed.
The £375,000 a day cost involved 3,000 police and soldiers, plus helicopters, sniffer dogs, bomb disposal units and an ever-present guard armed with a ballistic briefcase or bullet proof shield just in case of a sniper attack.
They were invited to the south American country – which is a no-go zone in parts according to the Foreign Commonweath and Development Office – by left wing vice president Francia Marquez – who has survived at least two attempts on her life.
‘They invested this money because the vice president wanted to meet two high profile public figures and brush aside criticism and problems that we have here through a corrupt government.
‘We are in an economic crisis and eight billion pesos have been spent for the visit of Harry and Meghan, Colombian military planes and helicopters have been used and the money could have been better spent.
‘Before this current government came to power they campaigned that they would save money and not waste it but they have done just the opposite with this visit.’
He also referenced Ms Marquez reason for inviting Harry and Meghan and said: ‘The vice president asked them here because she saw them on Netflix, can you believe that? How ridiculous, I can’t believe she said that.’
‘This country could have used the money to invest in our own infrastructure, we are in a bad way and money is wasted for this.’
While another councillor in the capital Bogota also lashed out at the trip beneath a social media post from Colombia’s leftist president Gustavo Petro praising the visit.
Right wing leaning Papo Amin asked if Petro had forgotten about ‘bombs and kidnaps’ that had hit several regions across Colombia, and a left-wing guerilla group who held part of the country in an eight-day siege.
The visit also took in the cities of Cartagena and Bogota, as well as brief stop in the village of San Basilio de Palenque, set up by freed African slaves almost 300 years ago.
Topics for the faux royal tour included online violence, cyber bulling, mind wellness in the digital age and female empowerment.
However, apart from one event, there was no access to British media with a lone Sussex approved reporter from women’s’ fashion magazine Harper’s Bazaar providing fawning coverage.
Reporters who dared to focus on the security were warned not to do so as they could be ‘tipping off terrorists’ despite the presence of soldiers and police being visible to all and sundry.
While some who spoke to a teacher – after being invited in – following Harry and Meghan’s departure from a school were then kicked off a media WhatsApp group set up by the press office of the vice president.
And because of the massive security there were no walkabouts meeting people on the street as each venue was ringed by police and they were driven in and out at high speed in a 14 vehicle convoy.
It has led to more questions than answers, with the main one being what was the point of the trip.
